I Can Only Dream
by 18armsh
Summary: Gabriella Montez is an exchange student-the only problem is that moving to East High for her senior year wasn't her choice, and wouldn't have been if her mother hadn't forced her to. With a growing problem from home, Gabriella tries her best to fit in at East High. While she counts down the days until her return, something may change her mind about leaving East High.
1. Chapter 1: Early Risers

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :)**

Ch. 1: Early Risers

 **Gabriella's POV:**

"Hurry up, Gabby! You're gonna miss your flight! We leave in a half hour." Mom called from her room. Her voice boomed off every wall of our house in the process; my ears screamed in protest, tempting me to yell a sarcastic comment back.

"Well if I wasn't awake then, I am now," I murmured, forcing myself out of the comfort of the warm water spraying from my showerhead. I plugged in my hairdryer to allow for a quick and easy dry, even if I would only have time to partly dry my dark brown locks.

"Gabby, we've got to go! _Now!_ " Mom's voice rose an octave in panic, urging me to finish as quickly as I could.

 _Partly dry is better than nothing,_ I thought as I pulled on the pair of skinny jeans and white blouse I had set out weeks in advance for this day. The outfit was always my first choice for long trips; not only did it make me feel pretty and bring out the color of my eyes, but it was also the most comfortable thing I owned...well, except for my pajamas, but mom had already vetoed the idea of me wearing my thin nightgown on the plane.

"Just because the United States may be safer than Mexico doesn't mean that there's no creeps over there." Mom had chastised when I asked her about staying in my pajamas.

After grabbing my suitcase, I shoved my iPod into my pocket and reluctantly followed mom out of the house and to our car; I never wanted to be in the Foreign Exchanged Program, but mom forced me to join it. She'd been talking about it since I'd hit sixth grade. With a little help, I heaved my luggage into the trunk and settled into the passenger's seat. Once there, I popped my earbuds into my ears and closed my eyes. As I searched for a song to listen to, mom poked me on the shoulder, I sighed and took out an earbud.

"You ready?" She asked.

"Whatever," I shrugged, "I still don't understand why I have to do this."

"Do what, mija?" Mom urged me to continue.

"Leave all my friends and be in this stupid program." I raised an eyebrow, expecting her to go on her usual rant about cultures—how I needed to learn about different cultures in case we needed to leave in our county's emergency someday. She wanted to make sure that I would know how to survive on my own in case she didn't make it across the border.

"I really don't want to have an argument at this hour. You know why. We've been over it several times." Mom huffed.

"I'll never leave Mexico! You're here and that's all I ever want: to spend the rest of my life with you. Anywhere you go I'll go!" I retorted, blinking back tears.

"I know, Gabby, but someday I won't be here anymore. Then what?" She questioned as she backed the car out of our driveway.

"I'm not really sure but it _will_ involve staying here. I promise" I assured.

"You know, hon, sometimes we have to get out and see the world, explore it while we can. We need to take chances, otherwise we'll never make it out of the walls of our homes," mom replied, gentleness softening her tone until it almost seemed like she was speaking to a child, "we had to wake up early so why don't you get some rest. We still have a while until we reach the airport."

 **Troy's POV:**

It had been my mom's idea to host a foreign exchange student. She had heard the idea from Marcy Danforth, who is not only my best friend's parents, but also hosted a foreign exchange student from France last year. She told my mom how much fun they had together, which ultimately made the decision for my mom about hosting one, too. She thought it sounded awesome, however, when she mentioned it with my dad he immediately disagreed.

"We already have Troy and Ashley to take care of, especially with Ash so little. We're not going to have enough time for another person in the house!" Dad exclaimed.

"But apparently we have time for you to spend three extra hours at the school each night! If that's what you're talking about then of course _you_ don't have time to host an exchange student!" She argued, "But I'm never usually at the hospital long each day and am only there during long hours when I'm filling in for someone! I have plenty of time on my hands. If you just give me a chance, please, Jack, I really want this!"

"What's Ash going to think? She's going to get close to this person and then by the end of the school year she's going to be torn away when they go back home." He yelled.

A lot of times mom and dad would stay up most hours of the night arguing about it. I never got a whole lot of sleep because of that—I would show up to school the next day with messy hair and red eyes. I was relieved when they stopped talking about it; honestly, I'd thought dad had won but was wrong when the next victim of mom was me. I was outside practicing basketball one day when mom showed up next to me.

"Hey, Troy," mom gestured for me to pass my basketball to her. I raised an eyebrow but complied. She caught the ball and attempted to make a basket from the free throw line but failed miserably when the ball didn't even come close to the net.

When she asked me how I felt about being a host family for a foreign exchange student, I had to admit that I, too, was a little skeptical about it. I wasn't as if I didn't want to be a host family, but because I was kind of nervous about having a stranger live in my house for a school year. However, when I made my decision I didn't realize that I would have to wake up at 4 am to pick them up from the airport. That's where we were now. Dad was leaning up against the wall and staring up at the ceiling as if he'd rather be playing basketball while mom was pacing back and forth, eagerly anticipating for when the plane would land. I could see her mouth moving but there was no sound escaping her lips. It was if she was deciding how to introduce herself. Giving up on reading mom's lips, I curled up on the bench and closed my eyes to attempt to sleep, but mom's excitement must've rubbed off on me too; no matter how much I tried, my mind was whirling so quickly that I couldn't relax. I took a few deep breaths and opened one eye to watch mom march back and forth next to her husband.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" I groaned, speaking my first words since we arrived at the Albuquerque airport.

"They should've been here twenty minutes ago," mom exclaimed, beginning to nibble on her fingernails, "what if the plane crashed?"

I stood up and walked over to mom, who had already thrown herself into dad's arms. I gently added my arms around her thin frame. Her body shook as a sob contracted in her throat. Dad kissed her hair and rubbed her back while I put my mouth next to ear and whispered, "Shh, it's okay. The plane didn't crash." My eyes wandered to the board that portrayed the flights coming in and leaving. Right at the top read **Flight 121 Mexico City to Albuquerque**. Next to it the word 'deported' in red letters flashed to 'arrived' in green, "The flight's here."

Mom's head shot up so fast that she rammed her skull into dad's chin. He winced but broke into laughter when mom grabbed the top of her head and glared at him.

"Flight 121: Mexico City, Mexico to Albuquerque has now arrived." A mechanical voice echoed through the loudspeakers across the airport.

"That's them." I whispered, holding my breath as the door opened and nearly a hundred-people flooded from the plane into the building.

"Look for dark, wavy hair." Mom advised.

"Can't you describe anything else about them?" Dad raised an amused eyebrow only to receive another glare from mom. She scoffed and pushed her purse into my arms, narrowing her eyes at us as if to say _move from this position and I'll murder you_. Then without a second glance, she disappeared into the crowd.

 **Gabriella's POV:**

I stepped out of the door and was met with a crowd of probably a good 150 people swirling around me. They occupied ever side of me; they laughed in joy as they were greeted by family and friends, children swamped around me like a hoard of mosquitoes. They rudely pushed past to catch up with their parents. My eyes searched the never-ending swarm of people in order to find the Bolton's—or at least I thought that was their last name.

 _There's so many people! How am I supposed to find anyone in this?_ I thought while desperately trying to squeeze around people.

"Gabriella Montez, are you there?" A feminine voice called above the boisterous people surrounding me.

"I'm here," I replied, turning in a circle to spot the woman calling me while raising a hand so she would have a higher chance of seeing me, "Where are you?"

A hand landed on my shoulder; my heart leaped into my throat, and in my fear, I almost choked on my tongue. I spun around to see a woman with long brown hair with blue eyes that always seemed to sparkle, which accentuated her high cheekbones.

"Oh, you're even more beautiful in person!" She observed before leading me out of the madhouse and toward two med isolated from the only growing crowd, "Come with me so I can introduce you to my husband and son."

A son? In the information I received there was nothing about any children. In fact, I didn't even remember him being in the picture that was sent, "How old is he?" I asked politely

"Eighteen—a senior at East High, which is the school you'll be attending this year. You're a senior, too, right?"

I smiled and nodded. As we got closer to the men I noticed other details; one of them was leaned up against the wall and the other wasn't far away holding some small object—a bag? "Is that them?" I mumbled, gesturing over to the men with my head. The woman hesitated before answering.

"Yup. Troy, Jack, get over here!" She called. Immediately, as if their lives depended on it, the men were beside us. The older one extended his hand in an American greeting.

"Jack Bolton," I shook his hand, remembering from my lessons to keep my hand firm. Jack beamed as if my handshake prided him, "That's my wife, Marlee."

"Gabriella Montez." I responded.

Next, I turned to the son, whom, by product of elimination, I guessed to be Troy. I slowly met his eyes—they were piercing blue, identical to Marlee's. They stared into my chocolatey brown eyes. At the contact, my cheeks warmed into a blush. Deciding not to let the moment become awkward, my eyes wandered to his brown hair, though it stuck up in every direction it still seemed perfect...just like _his._ I forced myself to not cringe at the thought.

"I'm Gabriella." I squeaked, immediately embarrassed when my voice rose an octave and made itself at home. I cleared my throat to reset my voice.

"Troy Bolton. It's nice to finally meet you. Mom's been raving about you ever since she found out who would be staying with us. She wouldn't stop talking about how beautiful you are, and I guess she isn't wrong about that." He smiled.

I nodded, fighting another blush, and began to sway on my feet, unable to contain my weariness any longer. Troy grabbed my arm to steady me and almost dropped his purse in the process. After holding my arm, he fumbled to catch the handles on its way to the ground. With a plop, it landed on the floor. Troy shot Marlee an apologetic look before picking it up.

"Nice purse. It matches your skin tone." I teased, fighting off a yawn. Troy's face instantaneously turned beet red. Faster than I could process, he shoved the purse in Marlee's arms.

"It's not mine: it's mom's." He mumbled.

"Why don't we get your luggage and go home. You look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet, Gabriella." Marlee suggested.

"Do you mind? In case you stumble again?" Troy asked, offering an arm to me.

 _He_ flashed in my vision: his pale skin accentuating his dark hair while his brown eyes sparkled in mystery—it was the mystery behind his eyes that attracted me to him. The bruises he'd left on my body stung as if the incident had just happened this morning. A lump formed in my throat and I choked out an involuntary sob, shaking my head and backing away from Troy.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Gabriella. I just want to make sure you don't fall." Troy assured.

 _He's not going to hurt you!_ I repeated in my head over and over, but I couldn't convince my battered body that this seemingly harmless boy would try the same stunt. To my relief, Jack stood up for me. He placed a hand on his son's shoulder while we walked to the baggage claim, "Troy, the girl just got here. Give her some time before you go all boyfriend on her."

Troy sighed, "Sure, dad. But when are we gonna pick up Ash? She knows something's going on."

I raised an eyebrow, _Ash? A friend? A girlfriend?_ I thought.

As if she'd read my mind, Marlee whispered over, "Ashley is my three-year-old daughter. Since we had to wake up so early Jack and I took her to a friend's house to stay overnight. We'll probably pick her up today after lunch."

Once I had picked up my luggage from the baggage claim, Jack and Troy took my bags for me and I slowly followed my host family out to their car.

 **Troy's POV:**

The Albuquerque airport was a half an hour out of town, making the trip about forty-five minutes from our house. Except the thing was that we had woken up so early that when we reached the city it was morning rush hour; mom and dad had been worried about that. Though that was the least of my problems—when dad pulled out of the parking lot and on to the road, Gabriella leaned over to mom.

"Mrs. Bolton, I hope this won't be too much of a problem, but I have horrible motion sickness." she stated, already sounding queasy.

"Oh, hon, it's alright. Have you tried staring into the horizon? I hear that works." Mom suggested.

"Yeah. It didn't work and neither did looking up and keeping my eyes closed. Nothing has worked so far." Gabriella answered.

I searched through my memories when Ash also had motion sickness. Though she was very young, I vaguely remembered mom laying Ash across her legs and rubbing the baby's back and stomach. As if knowing what I was going to say, dad shot me a warning glance through the rearview mirror. Choosing to ignore him, I tapped Gabriella on the shoulder. When she turned to me her face was pale and signs of her motion sickness already were shown through her eyes, which once were sparking were now glazed.

"When my little sister was young, she had motion sickness, too. Mom laid her on her lap and it seemed to help her. I mean, she was one-and-a-half at the time, but it could still work." I offered. Gabriella turned her head to the side very slightly: asking without words if it was okay if she tried it on my lap. I grinned, "As long as you don't throw up on my lap. These are new shorts."

Checking to make sure there wasn't a speed bump or a pothole ahead, Gabriella took off her seatbelt and lowered herself until her head was on my lap. I reached over and began to rub around in circles on her stomach and stroking her hair with my other hand. Mom turned around and smiled at my attempt to help the distressed girl. Gabriella let out a small moan; the sound of it tore my heart in two. When she spoke, her voice croaked pitifully, "Please not there, Troy. That's making it worse."

I shifted my hand from her stomach to her back, where I began tracing circles across her entire back. With a tiny shake of her body, Gabriella let out a miniature hiccup, which was quickly followed by several more.

"You alright?" I asked.

"Tell them to pull over." She whispered, her voice barely audible, as she slapped a hand over her mouth.

 _Oh, boy._ I thought.

"Dad, pull over!" I yelled, "She's gonna puke!"

"I can't!" He scoffed.

Thinking quickly, I remembered that ever since we had gotten this car mom had kept a trach bag in it so there was never a reason for our new car to be dirty. I had always thought that it was a stupid idea that would just take up extra room, but now I was grateful, "Mom, hand me the trash bag!"

No second thought needed as mom immediately passed it to me. I helped Gabriella in a sitting position and handed her the bag. Without a second to spare, she hurled everything that was once in her stomach into the bag. I gently held her hair away from her face and rubbed her shoulders as her small frame shook violently as it emptied itself.

"You're going to be okay, Gabriella." I soothed. Tears streamed down her face, though I couldn't be sure if they were guilty tears or involuntary tears as the stomach acid burned her esophagus. Once she finished, I wiped off her mouth with the inside edge of the bag and allowed her to settle back in my lap. However, this time she faced me and buried her head in my shirt. She sobbed quietly—the only way I could tell was when she took in a harsh breath and when her shoulders trembled.

"Hey," I searched through a shortened version of her name to calm her down. In a few seconds I settled on one, "Brie, no one's mad at you. There's no reason to cry."

She shook her head and laughed without humor, "You don't understand. I'm not crying about throwing up or because of my motion sickness. Someday you'll understand, just not now."


	2. Chapter 2: I Won't Let Go

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed that...It might've been a little boring, but that was mostly to build up the story. These other chapters will be more exciting (I hope you think so). ENJOY!**

 _"Hey, " I searched through any shortened version of her name to let her know that no one was mad at her, after a little thought, I settled on one, "Brie, no one is mad at you. There's no reason to cry."_

 _She shook her head and laughed without humor, "You don't understand. I'm not crying about throwing up or my motion sickness. Someday you'll understand, just not now."_

Ch. 2: "I Won't Let Go"

 _Someday you'll understand, just not now,_ Gabriella's words repeated in my head constantly. What couldn't I understand? Did it have something to do with her motion sickness or was it something that had happened before she came to Albuquerque? Over the next few days I reran everything that had happened that early July morning we'd picked her up from the airport, searching for clues in her actions or faults that I might've made. The only thing that came to mind was when I offered to put my arm around her in case she stumbled again—her face had paled, and her muscles tightened before she backed away while stammering over her words.

The next weird thing was every night since then she woke up screaming. There was no way to tell what had happened, but there was something off about her. It would be almost impossible to tell what it was unless I asked her; that would seem rude, though. Maybe time would tell?

It had been a month since then—school would be starting in the morning and Gabriella was a ball of nerves. Usually once a day she would lock herself in her room. Once, I decided to stand outside the closed door, pressing my ear to the thin wall separating us. I had heard a sharp intake of breath as she cried and repeated the same phrase in Spanish: _¿Que voy a hacer?_ That would be the first time I had ever wished that I took a Spanish class; but then again, how was I to know that my senior year my family would be hosting a Mexican exchange student?

 **Gabriella's POV:**

 _He_ haunted every second of the day and every night I slept he was in my dreams, as if mocking me because no matter what I did I couldn't escape him. His face would be staring back at mine for a long time after now.

I frowned as I pinched my stomach underneath my favorite pajamas, knowing that once school would be in session for a while there would be no way to hide it. I flopped down on my bed and buried my face into the covers, allowing the tears to fall. I closed my eyes and squeezed out a few warm tears, which, once free of the bonds of my eyes, trailed down my cheek and made small, wet drops on the blankets. _His_ face popped in front of my eyes once again—his perfect brown hair sticking out in all directions and a mocking sneer on his face, hidden by his American charm and bright blue eyes. Part of me relaxed, the part of me that wanted to forgive him: the unrealistic part. The other part of me tensed, making me feel on edge, as if _he_ was standing in front of me.

" _¿Que voy a hacer?_ " I sobbed, " _¿Que voy a hacer?_ "

"Brie, are you alright?" A soft voice asked after a knock on the door.

 _Crap, I can't believe I forgot the shut the door! Stupid Gabriella!_ I internally scolded myself.

"Are you okay, Brie?" Troy repeated as he stepped through the threshold.

I sat up and quickly wiped my eyes before he could see the signs that I had been crying, though it was a useless task; he already knew I was crying or he wouldn't have stopped to ask if I was okay. Troy opened his arms, asking without words for me to fall into them. A normal, sane girl wouldn't think twice about it—Troy was the epitome of an amazing man and I'm sure any girl would kill to be me now, but Troy was nearly an identical of _him._ It would seem like I would be hugging _him,_ the man who only pretended to love me.

As I watched Troy, his features made small changes: his perfectly brushed hair loosened itself, his teeth edged apart until they formed a small gap between his right canine and the first molar, and his skin complexion turned from slightly tan till it was so pale that it was nearly white. It was _him!_

"N-no! I ca-can't!" I scrambled away from the monster that sat beside me. As fast as I could, I ran out of my room; outside, around the backside of the house; and climbed up the treehouse that Troy had showed me my second day at his house.

"Brie!" Troy called from an open window in my room. Despite me fear, I couldn't help but smile at the nickname he'd given me, "Mom doesn't like it when we go outside with our pajamas on, especially on a school night!"

Not wanting to shout my answer across the yard, I picked up my phone and texted him.

 _Gabriella: Is the strange man in my room gone?_

 _Troy: What strange man? Besides you, I was the only one in there._

I breathed a sigh of relief, happy that it was just a figment of my imagination, though still upset because Troy was a good man and the thought of Troy reminding me of _him_ broke my heart. There was nothing I'd rather do than get closer to Troy, but if every time he tried comforted me it would remind me of _him,_ I would never be able to get closer. My finger hovered above the buttons. I sat there for a minute to try to urge myself about the incident, but the thought of someone else knowing about it seemed to freeze my finger, making me unable to move it in the rhythm it would take to tell him. I shook my head to rid myself of the thought and bit my lip as I responded.

 _Gabriella: Nevermind. It's nothing. I'm coming in._

 _He reached out, "Come on, I need to show you something. You'll love it: I promise!"_

 _He took my hand and proudly held it as he led me to a taxi, showing off to all other boys who passed that I was his. Without a second thought, I climbed into the backseat with him closely behind. Once seated, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned against him, letting out a content sigh. Being with him, I was the luckiest girl in the world. With his free hand, he lifted my chin until my eyes met his mesmerizing blue ones. Adoration sparkled in them; I knew that my face held the same expression._

 _This man, I had met him three months before. I swore it was love at first sight. We met at a scholastic decathlon match—he was from American High School, which was the school we were facing. Each time we went against each other, he would hold my hand a little longer than needed, causing a warm blush to enter my cheeks and he stared at me throughout the entire meet. After that, we went everywhere together; he lived within twenty miles of my house, so it never took too long for him to get to my house. I had no reason not to trust him._

 _He closed the space between us and our lips connected in a messy kiss. Happiness exploded through me. In those moments, as his tongue prodded at my teeth for permission to enter my mouth, I could see us getting married—me in an elegant wedding dress that accentuated the curves of my body as well as my chocolate colored eyes. I could see our future: him carrying me bridal style as I clutched my stomach in pain, heavy with our first child. I gratefully opened my mouth and allowed his tongue to slip in between my teeth and he did the same for me. I allowed my tongue to explore his mouth. I ran it along his teeth, savoring the feeling as it dipped when it slipped the gap between his right canine and molar._

What could be better? _I thought as I tangled my fingers into his brown hair._

 _I sighed as his fingers wandered down my breasts, massaging where they attached to my body. He shifted until his body was over mine and I laid on the backseat of the taxi. Dread shot through me when he broke the kiss and mercilessly pinned me down. I felt a tug and tried to kick min off as he pulled my shorts down. I squirmed and screamed at the driver to help and for him to stop, but neither one gave any response, though I caught the driver eyeing my naked butt in the mirror. I screamed and cursed at him, but he only continued his route._

My eyes shot open and I sat up, screaming. Tears streamed down my face and I unsuccessfully heaved for breath. The light flashed on, momentarily blinding me. Immediately, Troy was by my side. He pulled me into his arms. Unable to resist, frozen from fear, I let my small, shaking frame fall into his.

"Brie, what's going on?" He murmured into my hair.

I tried to speak, longing to tell him the whole story, but no words escaped my beaten body. Desperate for oxygen, I took in a huge breath, only to get barely anything.

"Breathe, Brie, breathe!" Troy rubbed my back, urging for my body to take a breath, "Everything's okay! It was just a dream!'

 _It wasn't just a dream!_ I wanted to cry _, it was real!_

 **Troy's POV:**

Something had to be wrong: people don't just wake up in the middle of the night screaming and crying. That doesn't happen on a normal basis, but with Gabriella it was nearly every night. Usually when she wakes up like this mom goes to her—Gabriella seemed to respond best when mom helped her—but this time, mom was covering a shift at the hospital while dad was leaving extra early for work: something about a huge meeting that he had to attend.

I was suddenly awoken by a shrill, bloodcurdling scream. I groaned and rolled over to my alarm clock. It read 4:35 am. I leaped to my feet when the scream came again. Instantly awake, I sprinted into Gabriella's room to the girl sitting upright in her bed, overtaken by fear, heaving for breath and sobbing—The way mom finds her nearly every night.

"Brie?" I asked, "Are you alright?"

When there was no response, I pulled her into my arms and let her cry on my bare chest. I rubbed her back and tried to urge the hypoventilating girl to breathe. She didn't respond, my only answer was her gasping for air. Unsure of what else to do, I scooped Gabriella up bridal style and brought her into while whispering soothing things to her. I gently laid her on my bed and laid down next to her, curling her up until her face was a few inches away from my chest. Keeping her close to me, I began to quietly sing to her.

" 'It's like a storm

That cuts a path

It breaks your will

It feels like that

You think you're lost

But you're not lost

On your own

You're not alone

I will stand by you

I will help you through

When you've done all you can do

If you can't cope

I will dry your eyes

I will fight your fight

I will hold you tight

And I won't let go' "

Though she still sobbed, I felt her take a huge breath as she finally began to breathe again.; I smiled to myself and pulled her a little closer against me. Keeping the tone of my voice low and comforting, I continued.

" 'It hurts my heart

To see you cry

I know it's dark

This part of life

Oh it finds us all

And we're to small

To stop the rain

Oh but when it rains

I will stand by you

I will help you through

When you've done all you can do

If you can't cope

I will dry your eyes

I will fight your fight

I will hold you tight

And I won't let you fall

Don't be afraid to fall

I'm right here to catch you

I won't let you down

It won't get you down

You're going to make it

Yeah I know you can make it' "

Gabriella wrapped her slim arms around me and gave a small sorrowful sigh, no longer crying. She buried her head farther into my chest and curled up, finally accepting contact with me. Between breaths, I kissed the top of the fragile girl's head.

" 'Because I will stand by you

I will help you through

When you've done all you can do

And you can't cope

And I will dry your eyes

I will fight your fight

I will hold you tight

And I won't let go

Oh I'm going to hold you

And I won't let go

Won't let you go

No I won't' "

Even and gentle breathing brought me out of the spell I seemed to have fallen into while I sang to her. Gabriella murmured something inaudible to me. I snuggled against her and sighed in happiness.

"Are you okay now?" I asked.

"Mmhm."

I started to get up but was stopped when Gabriella began begging me not to leave her alone. When she spoke, I could her the tears re-forming in her voice.

"Please don't take me back! I don't want to be alone right now!" She whispered.

Settling back beside her, I pulled the covers over us and waited until Gabriella fell back asleep before closing my eyes, which burned from the lack of sleep. I was lulled back to sleep by the steadiness of the most beautiful girl's heartbeat.

 **I hope everyone liked this! By the way(so no one sues me)that song was "I Won't Let Go" by Rascal Flatts and I don't own it.**


	3. Chapter 3: First Day

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to**

 **Thanks for all the reviews! This is only my second fanfiction so I had no idea how to get to the reviews until 3/5/18. When I saw them I was touched. I honestly thought it was going horrible and everyone would hate it. So thanks to everyone! I have a naughty word in here, making it not exactly K+ anymore so...**

 _"Please don't take me back! I don't want to be alone right now!" She whispered_

 _Settling back beside her, I pulled the covers over us and waited until Gabriella fell back asleep before closing my eyes, which burned from lack of sleep. I was lulled back to sleep by the steadiness of the most beautiful girl's heartbeat._

 **ENJOY!**

 **Troy's POV:**

The obnoxious beeping of my alarm clock woke me from my refreshing slumber. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times from the harsh sunlight that shone through the windows. Reaching over, I shut off my alarm. The movement stirred Gabriella; she stretched, letting out a huge yawn.

"Why so early?" She complained, "Do you normally wake up at this hour?"

I grinned at her protest, "Well, on a school day, yes."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. To my surprise, once she stood up, she wrapped her skinny arms around me and buried her head into my chest, staying there for a minute, "Thanks for last night." She murmured.

My heart fluttered for a moment, betraying what I had told myself from the day we picked Gabriella up from the airport. I promised that no matter what happened, I would only be friends: there was no way I could be more than that since she was only staying for the school year, "No problem," I replied, internally cursing myself as I kissed the top of her head, "What happened, anyway? What was so terrifying about your dream?"

Gabriella stiffened in my arms and I shook my head. I had finally started to get closer to her without her getting scared and I ruined it. Why did I have to be so stupid sometimes?

"Please, Troy, don't make me tell you right now. I'm not ready to relive it yet. I'll tell you when I'm completely at ease with you. Last night helped a bit but give it a couple of weeks or so. If I feel that I'm ready, then I'll tell you." She promised, raising her head to meet my eyes. I stared into hers, feeling almost mesmerized by the dark chocolate that resided in her irises; I sighed, wishing that the circumstances that she was here under could be different. Part of me longed to press my lips to hers. Before I could, she pulled away and gulped, "I, um. I need to use the bathroom."

"Oh, sorry." I retracted my arms from her.

Gabriella rushed off immediately. I closed my eyes, her words once again echoing in my head, _someday you'll understand, just not now_. I stood, unmoving for a minute, deciding upon a plan—if Gabriella wasn't ready to tell me yet, I would just have to find out on my own. I pulled out a scrap piece of paper and a pen from my drawer, listing a few ideas down:

Abusive Relationship

Attacked

Kidnapped (?)

Touched in inappropriate places

I nibbled on the cap of my pen as I searched other options. I nervously glanced at my clock, suddenly glad that mom had forced me to take my shower last night—I was running out of time to get ready and I was wasting time just sitting. I quickly scribbled down two more ideas:

Raped

Victim of sex trafficking

I shoved the scrap paper back where I found it and pulled on the first pair of clothes I saw in my dresser. As I finished, the bathroom door squealed shut. I raised my eyebrow; Gabriella had already been in the bathroom. There was no need for her to be back in. Being the nosy jock I was, I tip-toed to the bathroom door to investigate.

 **Gabriella's POV:**

I slipped on a red shirt and paired it with a pair of white shorts; it was the first day of school. I had to show school spirit on my first day to East High. I ran a brush through my long, hair, watching the ends bounce back into their thick luscious curls. I observed myself in the full-length mirror in my room, admiring the curves that shaped my body and the tan legs that perfected the summer look I was aiming at.

My stomach twisted and I felt everything from breakfast creep up my esophagus. Sprinting to the bathroom, I shut the door behind me and opened the toilet lid before everything previously in my stomach was heaved out.

"Brie, is that you in there?" Troy's voice was muffled through the door after a soft knock.

Between heaves, I croaked, "Yeah."

The door flew open with Troy right behind. Normally I would be angry. I have always enjoyed privacy while I was in the bathroom, but this time I couldn't help the small twinge of happiness that floated in my chest for a second before I emptied another mouthful of vomit into the toilet. Troy was instantly beside me, pulling my hair into a messy bun while rubbing my back in comfort. Once I emptied my stomach, Troy cleaned off my mouth with a washcloth—when did he get that?—and wiped away the involuntary tears that leaked out of my eyes.

"Is everything okay?" Marlee appeared in the doorway. She shot me a worried smile, "Did you throw up again? Should I keep you home today?"

"It's okay, Mama. I'm just not used to all the grease in American food yet."  
I lied, internally praying that she would believe my pitiful excuse. I let out a small sigh when Marlee nodded as if she knew all about it and left us alone. Though Troy didn't look convinced.

"Brie, we haven't had any greasy food yet. What's really going on?" He breathed.

Unable to hold myself any longer, I curled up into the fetal position and whispered, "I'm pregnant."

Troy's mouth dropped open, and for a moment he stayed as still as a statue. When he didn't respond, I burst into tears and shoved my face into my hands. I rocked myself back in forth in a attempt to calm myself, though it didn't help.

He shook his head, "I don't. I don't understand? How did this happen? How long" he asked, pulling me in for a hug and allowing me to cry into his shirt.

"Two months. I don't know what to do! Abortion is out of the question. But I don't want to have this baby! What is I supposed to do? Tell the poor kid that it was never wanted?" I sobbed.

"I'll tell you what," Troy slipped a finger under my chin and raised my head so my eyes met his, "after school we'll find someplace private and we'll talk this out. But right now, we need to leave or we're going to be late. Unless, of course, you want to stay home."

I gasped and leaped to my feet, "Why would you say something like that?! I've never missed a day of school in my life! Certainly not the first day!"

Troy chuckled and stood. Once again, he wiped the tears off my cheeks before leading me out to his truck. The drive to East High was anything but relaxing. Once every few minutes, Troy ran a hand through his hair and shook his head, almost as if he were saying _that whore had to go and get herself pregnant_. After ten minutes of absolute quiet, Troy pulled into a parking space three from the entrance. He put on mine to get my attention. I turned to him, having a hard time meeting his eyes.

"Everything is going to be okay. I promise," he said in a surprisingly gentle voice. He leaned toward me—I flinched, and he abruptly stopped. Instead, he took off his seatbelt, "We'll talk later."

"Okay, class, you know the routine. We're not going to be doing anything new for the next week and a half. Instead, we'll be doing a review of what you learned last year. But first, to see how much you remember, you all are going to be doing a pre-test." Her statement was immediately followed with a huge groan from the entire class. She passed out a stack of paper, giving each student three pages: an answer sheet and two decently thick packets spilling with math problems. Thing that intrigued be was the slim girl sitting beside me. While everyone else pretended to shoot themselves, she happily took her test and completed it with a smile on her face, almost as if she loved every second of it. I let out a small, happy sigh.

 _Maybe I will fit in with someone here._ I thought as I began filling out the all-too-easy test.

"Who are you?" The girl asked once I had finished my test.

"Gabriella Montez." I whispered as quietly as I could so the teacher wouldn't hear.

"Taylor McKessie." She responded, flashing me an award-winning smile, "What did you think of the test?"

"Too easy." I grinned.

"Taylor and Gabriella, there are still students taking their tests. I think they all would appreciate some quiet so they can concentrate." The teacher scolded.

"Yes, Mrs. Riphon." Taylor sighed before turning back to me and rolling her eyes. Without hesitating, she pulled out a half sheet of paper from her binder. Scribbling down a few words, she handed the note to me and read her elegant handwriting:

Sit with me at lunch?

I smiled, giving the hopeful girl next to me a smile and nodded. Where else would I go for lunch anyway? I don't think that I would exactly fit in with Troy's friends—he's a nice guy but I don't think his friends would like me. In fact, he would probably be over at his table gossiping to everyone about the disgusting Mexican Exchange Student his family is hosting. So why not?

Troy and I sat inside his truck after school, each of us holding a medium ice cream cone. As soon as school had let out for the day, Troy had taken me to the Albuquerque Creamery, and as he had promised, he parked in to parking lot to talk. He finished his cone and wiped his hands on a napkin to rid them of any ice cream remaining on them.

"Okay, Brie. Tell me how this happened. Does it have something to do with why you're afraid of dad and I?" He urged.

 _How am I supposed to begin?_ I thought helplessly.

I took a deep breath, "It all started at the end of last school year. I was on the Scholastic Decathlon team in my school. We were facing a school not too far away. It was called American High School ( **author:** **I know the name sounds funny and made up, but I searched google for a school in Mexico that was for Americans and on google maps I found that school** ). Anyway, while we were competing, this boy: Jacob Fisher, kept looking at me. He was very handsome. His hair was always messy, and he had a gap in his teeth, but somehow, he made imperfections look perfect. I thought it was love at first sight. We lost the game and after that, Jacob and I went everywhere together. I didn't see anything wrong with him; he wouldn't hurt a fly! But, boy was I wrong. We dated all summer long and in the first week or so of July, as a late anniversary gift, he wanted to take me to a nice restaurant. He didn't have a car or his license yet and refused to let me drive. He was the man and wanted to take care of me, not vice versa." I swallowed the last bit of my cone and shuddered, fearing of what I was going to say next. Troy, sensing my discomfort, took my hand and traced small circles on it with his thumb. Only ounces of courage left in me, I finished the story," He waved down a taxi. He was a gentleman and allowed me to get in first. On our way to the restaurant, he kissed me. And I swear, if he would've proposed right then and there, I would say yes. But it was a plan the entire time. He shifted and pinned me. I tried to kick him off me, but he tugged my pants down and then his next. I called for help from the driver but he didn't even blink. I just closed my eyes and continued to thrash around. He raped me, Troy!" I broke off and buried my head into my hands, uncertain of how Troy would react. Though I couldn't see his reaction, I could feel his gentle hand on my shoulder.

"How could someone do something like that to you—to anyone?" Troy's voice was barely audible, partly because of my heartbeat pounding on the inside of my ears.

I shook my head at a loss for words. Choking back a sob, I finished the story, "I left him immediately after. All he wanted the entire time was just to use me! He never actually loved me, or at least he never loved me the way I loved him. When I got home I was so scared: scared of what was going to happen to me and scared of how my mom was going to react. We're very conservative Christians. She would probably—no joke—kill me in front of the entire world if she found out. I haven't been able to get over the fear of men since then. Well, excluding you. I'm afraid the same thing will happen if I get close to another man. Not even my mom knows about the rape."

"Oh, Brie, your mom wouldn't kill you! She would probably hunt down that Fisher kid and slaughter him for what he did to you. Heck, _I'm_ seriously considering that right now!" Troy soothed.

With a gentle hand, Troy raised my face until I met his eyes. I tried to rip my chin away from him, but his grasp, though soft, was firm. Unable to tear away, I sighed, "Do whatever you want: Abandon me, hate me, I don't really care." I lied, incapable to minimize the sadness building in my chest as I stared at Troy.

"I can see it in your eyes: you do care. And you know what? So do I. If you don't want anyone here to know about the rape? That's fine, so, I'll make you a promise: I will claim this baby as mine so no one in America will find out your secret, but _only_ as long as you tell your mom about the rape as soon as you get home." He murmured, brushing hair out of my eyes with his free hand.

I shook my head again and looked away from him, "Troy, you don't have to do that. Mama and papa will be upset! They could force you to leave!"

Troy let out a small, humorless laugh, "Brie, you don't understand. It's not that I must do this. I want to. I want to do this for you and for the well-being of the baby. You think I want your baby growing up to know that his or her father was a rapist?" I gaped, stifling a giggle at how Troy described Jacob. My mouth moved up and down—trying to form words but none escaped my lips. At the expression on my face, he snickered, "Just say yes."

"You win." I threw my hands up in mock defeat.

"But the thing is, we have to make it seem real. We can't ignore each other at school, or people will realize that I'm not actually the father. We have to make it seem like we're actually in love," Troy took a thick ring off his index finger and slipped it on to my right ring finger. It immediately slid upside down due to the size of Troy's finger compared to mine. I studied the jewelry, in awe of the craftmanship. In the crown of the ring was a ruby that protruded slightly about the top of the ring. Engraved along the band were the words **BOLTON 2008** with a basketball and wildcat next to it.

"I can't take this! It was so expensive!" I exclaimed, a small blush creeping into my cheeks. I tried to fight it but it only deepened, bringing along a swelling of indescribable emotions when Troy's next words escaped.

Troy pressed his forehead to mine and breathed, "Money can't buy what we're going to have."

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters! I can't believe how much everyone seems to like this story! And I'm sorry I haven't been able to update very fast. I am still in high school and am not available to much internet connection at home to update...which means I have like 45 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes during study hall and German(and that's only when my teacher doesn't have a week posted yet). I try to update as fast as I can but am sorry if I am not fast enough.**


	4. Chapter 4: Covering the Shift

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to**

 **Thanks for all the reviews! Rated K+ again! This chapter isn't my best so I hope no one hates it!**

 _"But the thing is, we have to make it seem real. We can't ignore each other at school, or people will realize that I'm not actually the father. We have to make it seem like we're actually in love," Troy took a thick ring off his index finger and slipped it on to my right ring finger. It immediately slid upside down due to the size of Troy's finger compared to mine. I studied the jewelry, in awe of the craftmanship. In the crown of the ring was a ruby that protruded slightly about the top of the ring. Engraved along the band were the words_ _ **BOLTON 2008**_ _with a basketball and wildcat next to it._

 _"I can't take this! It was so expensive!" I exclaimed, a small blush creeping into my cheeks. I tried to fight it but it only deepened, bringing along a swelling of indescribable emotions when Troy's next words escaped._

 _Troy pressed his forehead to mine and breathed, "Money can't buy what we're going to have."_

 **ENJOY!**

 **Gabriella's POV:**

"What took you so long getting home? You should've been here nearly an hour ago!" Mama asked once I entered the house.

"Sorry, mom. I decided to take Brie to the downtown ice cream shop. I meant to tell you before we left this morning, but it must've slipped my mind." Troy apologized, sneaking me a wink when mama wasn't looking.

"Ice cweam?!" The excited squeal echoed around the house while the pitter patter of tiny feet was closely behind. Ashley flew across the corner in a sandy and white flash before scrambling to a stop in front of Troy and I like an obedient dog.

"Ash, what did mommy tell you about running in the house?" Troy scolded, leaning down to pike the tiny girl on the nose. I glanced over and questioned mama with my eyes; she nodded.

"Did you eat all of your lunch?" I whispered as I picked up the three-year-old, who begged to be held. She, trying to be like her mama, too, enthusiastically nodded her head. Upon her answer, I giggled and took her over to her high chair next to the table and gently set her in it. Next, I went to the cupboards, pulled out a small bowl, and scooped her favorite flavor of ice cream, chocolate, and took it to her. She clapped her tiny hands and let out another excited squeal.

"Troy, your dad had to stay late at work today. Something about a meeting, and I have to cover a shift at the hospital tonight. I was going to leave earlier but I couldn't leave Ash home alone. Could you guys make her dinner and put her to bed?"

Troy stepped over to me and slipped an arm around my waist. My heart leaped into my throat, but, surprisingly, not out of fear. Ever since last night when Troy sung me to sleep, I had been feeling all-too-familiar feelings for him. They were the same feelings that betrayed me two months ago when Jacob raped me. I shook my head and tried to dismiss the emotions from my heart. Troy ruffled Ash's sandy colored hair as he spoke, "Who are you covering?"

"Kenzie. She went into labor a couple hours ago."

I stiffened underneath Troy's arms. Feeling my muscles tense, Troy gently gave me side a small squeeze, as if saying _She doesn't know, Brie. It's okay. You don't have to be afraid._ I flashed mama a confused smile, "shouldn't she be on," I trailed off, unable to come up with the English word. I shook my head in defeat, "Whatever you Americans call it."

"Maternity leave." Troy provided.

Mama nodded as she headed out the door, "She should be on it. It's her second baby but she's refused maternity leave for each one—something about dedication. I think she said last time that there were women who could be having breeched births and stuff. She said they need the birthing rooms much more than she does. Anyway, there's leftovers from last night. Make sure not to eat anything greasy, Gabby. We don't want you getting sick again. Make sure Ash gets in bed before eight o'clock and you know everyone's numbers in case of an emergency. If not, they're on the fridge. Keep safe. Your dad will be home around six.

"Yes, mama." I responded.

"Brie's gonna heat up dinner and then you're going to take a bath, Ash." Troy warned the tiny girl.

"But, Twoy! I don't wanna take bath!" Ashley complained.

"Sorry, Ash. It has to be done. Brie, can you start dinner? I need to, um." He broke off and pointed to the bathroom.

I giggled, "Sure thing!"

Troy flashed me a grateful smile before rushing upstairs. Quickly, I pulled out last night's dinner out of the fridge, which consisted of macaroni and cheese and green beans. Ash hovered next to me as I pulled out the vegetables, wrinkling her nose as she saw them. I opened the mac and cheese and stirred in a little milk to give it some of its cream back before shoving it into the microwave. Once the timer went off, I took the steaming bowl of goodness to the table, making sure that Ash kept away from it—mac and cheese was her favorite food and she would've had the bowl empty in seconds.

Suddenly hit with a dizzying headache, I pressed my hand to my forehead as I stumbled over to the medicine cabinet for a pain medicine. As I got halfway there, the everything swayed and the world went black.

 **Troy's POV:**

I quickly dried my hands on the small hand towel hanging next to the sink. I could already smell the macaroni and cheese, which made my already growling stomach wail. The towel slipped to the floor and at the same time, I heard a loud thump and Ashley squeal in terror. I sighed. For the last month, Ashley hand began a clumsy stage: once every ten minutes she would trip over her feet and act like she'd witnessed a murder. The floorboards creaked as someone slowly made their way upstairs. The next thing I knew, a small fist was pounding on the bathroom door.

"Twoy!" Ashley screamed.

Wait. If it hadn't been Ashley who fell, then it must've been—Gabriella!

"Brie!" I yelled, ignoring the towel that had tumbled to the floor just seconds before. I ran out of the bathroom, scooping Ashley up as I took the stairs two at a time. Once off the stairway, I set the terrified girl safely on the floor and sprinted into the kitchen, horrified of the scene that laid before me. Gabriella lay unmoving on the floor, halfway between the table and the counter. My heart hammered in my chest. I shook my head angrily. If only I had been in here, watching Ashley as I should've been while Gabriella was reheating dinner, I could've stopped this before it happened. I placed a shaking finger underneath her nose, breathing a sigh of relief when I felt her warm breath caress my hand as she exhaled. In a moment of terror, hope shone through the clouds like a silver lining.

"Brie, wake up." I gently shook her. When she didn't stir, I turned to Ashley, who stood still as a statue a few feet away, "Ash, get me your ice water!"

For the first time ever, Ashley didn't argue. Instead she immediately grabbed her cup of water off the table and handed it to me. I cupped my hand and poured a handful of chilled water into my palm and splashed the water on Gabriella's face. She gasped, and her eyes shot open.

"What happened?" I asked, heaving a grateful sigh.

Gabriella shook her head, "I'm not really sure. I got a headache and felt dizzy. I was going to get some pain medicine and everything else is really fuzzy."

Dread caused my stomach to sink. With a careful hand, I touched Gabriella's belly, "Is the baby okay?"

"I think so. If I'm remembering right, I'm pretty sure that I read in my biology textbook last year that some pregnant women pass out from dizzy spells like mine. I think it's because my body was giving too many of my nutrients to the baby. I got dizzy from the lack of vital nutrients ( **not really sure if that is something that happens but I think I've heard something like that somewhere** ), "she explained.

"Okay," I laughed humorlessly, "I'll just nod my head and pretend like I understood every word of that. Is it bad?"

"Not necessarily. If I eat more nutrient rich foods then I'll be fine." She whispered.

"Why don't you go up to your room and lie down. I'll finish heating everything up and then I'll bring you dinner. I'll give Ash her bath so you don't have to get up. I'd prefer if you stayed in bed for the rest of the night." I advised, choosing my words carefully so I didn't imply that I thought she was weak.

"I'm fine, Troy! I don't need to be babied; I'm all better now!" Gabriella argued.

"I'm not going to believe you until you pop that baby out." I chuckled to lighten the mood, though she just rolled her eyes.

"What does 'pop dat baby out mean,' Twoy? Is Gabwewla okay?" Ashley asked as she tugged on my arm.

"Um, Brie's fine. She just needs rest," I turned and pointedly glared at Gabriella until she sighed and stood to make her way upstairs, "you don't need to know the other thing."

Ashley scoffed and crossed her arms, standing with an angry expression on her face: trying to make me feel guilty for not answering her question the way she wanted me to. I ignored my feisty little sister and led Gabriella upstairs to my room where I promptly had her lay on my bed. I kissed her on the nose and promised that I would come up once Ashley was in bed. I began to step out of my room but was stopped when Gabriella called my name. She gave me a surprisingly warm smile, "Thanks, Troy, for everything."I flashed Gabriella a sideways smile and walked out of my room, unable to quell the ache for her that pulsed through my veins.

 **Sorry that this chapter is so much shorter than the others!**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters! I can't believe how much everyone seems to like this story! And I'm sorry I haven't been able to update very fast. I am still in high school and am not available to much internet connection at home to update...which means I have like 45 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes during study hall and German(and that's only when my teacher doesn't have a week posted yet). I try to update as fast as I can but am sorry if I am not fast enough.**


	5. Chapter 5: Overhearing

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _"What does 'pop dat baby out mean,' Twoy? Is Gabwewla okay?" Ashley asked as she tugged on my arm._

 _"Um, Brie's fine. She just needs rest," I turned and pointedly glared at Gabriella until she sighed and stood to make her way upstairs, "you don't need to know the other thing."_

 _Ashley scoffed and crossed her arms, standing with an angry expression on her face: trying to make me feel guilty for not answering her question the way she wanted me to. I ignored my feisty little sister and led Gabriella upstairs to my room where I promptly had her lay on my bed. I kissed her on the nose and promised that I would come up once Ashley was in bed. I began to step out of my room but was stopped when Gabriella called my name. She gave me a surprisingly warm smile, "Thanks, Troy, for everything."I flashed Gabriella a sideways smile and walked out of my room, unable to quell the ache for her that pulsed through my veins._

 **ENJOY!**

 **Gabriella's POV:**

"Hey, Gabby!" Taylor greeted me in the lunch line. At her voice, my heart leaped up in my throat and I jumped in surprise. She laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder, squeezing the ball and socket joint just enough that I could tell that she was trying to comfort me, "What, you think I'm gonna rape you or something? Troy's not hitting you, is he? I mean, I could never imagine him doing something like that—he's always been respectful to every girl he's dated."

I cringed at her words as I fiddled with Troy's class ring that encircled my ring finger. Even though it had been a month since Troy gave me his class ring, it was still strange to feel the precious metal rub against my skin as it shifted, "No. No one is hitting me." _Just a touchy subject,_ I internally added.

"Whatever. If anyone ever lays a finger on you to harm you, I'll have Chad beat the crap out of them." Taylor swore.

I giggled but knit my eyebrows, "Chad?"

Taylor sighed and facepalmed, "You've been staying with the Bolton's for like two months and you don't know who Chad is?! He and Troy have been best friends since forever! How could you not of at least heard of him by now? He's the best on our basketball team. Well, other than Troy."

"Tay, I hate to break it to you, but I wasn't here last year. Troy's only mentioned basketball once and that was when papa was asking him if he was ready for the season to start. The only one of his friends I've met is you." I nibbled the inside of my cheek and hoped that Taylor wouldn't get upset. Instead of falling off the hook like I imagined her doing, she merely sighed again.

"Well, that sucks. We're all going to see a movie tonight. Wanna come? We're meeting at the theater at 6pm."

"Why not? What movie?"

"It's Sharpay's treat. Her father is paying for the movie and all the snacks, so I'm pretty sure that means Shar is choosing the movie. Which means that it will probably be a sappy, romantic one. I don't mind them occasionally, but I'm really not in the mood for one of those right now." She shook her head, sarcasm dripping off every word.

I hadn't met Sharpay, but one couldn't go to East High and at least heard of her. The dazzling blonde had duplex pink lockers and her outfits always stood out. Most people at school wore casual clothes but Sharpay always dressed in pink and white. She strutted down the hallway like she owns the school, which was probably true since I'd heard rumors that her dad owns nearly half of Albuquerque. Troy had also told me that she was president of the drama club and she was the only person in all of East High that was allowed to have her dog in the school.

"Oh, boy!" I laughed sarcastically, "I can't wait!"

At approximately 5 o'clock, I threw my dark hair, wet from a shower, hair into a messy ponytail and threw on a slightly baggy shirt that hid the baby bump that was forming. I let out a small sigh and rubbed the bump and whispered to my unborn baby, "I think I can learn to love you."

Troy had constantly been encouraging me to eat more so I didn't have another dizzy spell like I had experienced last month, but—though I was near the end of my first trimester—I already was getting the feeling that I was fat. I had been trying to ignore the fact that I would become several times bigger than I already was, but it still nagged in the back of my mind, bringing the taste of bile to my mouth. I slipped on a pair of white flats, the same pair I had worn the first day of school and crossed the hallway and knocked on Troy's closed door. In less than a second, the door opened and Troy stood in the doorway.

"Yeah, Brie?" He asked.

"Can I have a ride to the cinema? Tay invited me to see a film."

"Of course! I'm coming, too. Heard Shar was picking." He groaned, "But, Brie, please don't go all 1920's on me. We're going to a movie theater, not cinema, to see a movie. Not a film." He teased.

Shock flashed through my body. I couldn't help but laugh, "You're friends with girls like Sharpay?"

"So what? Why you wearing a baggy shirt? Don't you like more snug clothes?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "I have a baby bump. I don't want anyone to see it. Tay would hate me and I'm pretty sure Sharpay would, too."

"Hey, don't worry," Troy pulled me into his arms, "the gang is very understanding. In fact, before Shar began dating Zeke, I couldn't tell you how many times I'd heard the football gossiping to each other about what they did to Shar. No one will judge you for _our_ baby."

 **Marlee's POV:**

"Mommy, I tired! Can I slweep pwease?" Ashley complained, clumsily waddling up to me. She reached her arms up, begging for me to pick her up. I smiled at my baby girl—it seemed like just yesterday I had shown Jack the pregnancy test, but now Ashley was almost four years old. I grinned and picked up my daughter.

"Okay, hon. I heard Troy and Gabby are leaving for a movie with their friends. You wanna say bye before your nap?" I offered.

"Yeah!" Ashley squealed and clapped her hands, "What does 'pop dat baby out' mean?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at the girl in my arms, "Ash, where did you hear that from?"

"Twoy! He said sometin' bout sweep and said Gabwewla needed to pop dat baby out."

"I'm sure he was just teasing about something. You might not of heard the entire story, hon." I laughed and took Ashley upstairs. Stopping at Gabriella's closed door, I softly knocked on the door. When I received no answer, I opened the door and peeked through, only to find it empty. _In Troy's room, I guess._ She and Troy had been spending a lot of time together for the last month. It was a surprise for me since when Gabriella first came to Albuquerque she shied away from him. I could always tell that it bothered Troy that she did that, but I guessed that she had moved on from that. When I stepped up to Troy's slightly opened door, I stopped in my tracks when I heard his voice in a tone that I'd never heard him speak in.

"Hey, don't worry. The gang is very understanding. In fact, before Shar began dating Zeke, I couldn't tell you how many times I'd heard the football gossiping to each other about what they did to Shar. No one will judge you for _our_ baby."

At that, my mouth dropped open and a flash of anger exploded through my chest. I had half a mind to barge in there and demand an explanation, but the other part of me told me to wait, to confront them while they weren't expecting it. I shook my head; Troy was a gentleman—always was since he was old enough to talk in sentences. I had received praise of how I raised him from when he was three after he asked if he could _pretty please_ have candy before lunch. I remembered laughing and telling him no, only to have him flash me a silly smile and sit on the couch. _Our baby?_ I reworded the phrase several times in my head, though each time it somehow didn't make sense to me. Troy always said no to his girlfriends when they asked for it, no matter how upset at him they were afterwards. Now we host a foreign exchange student and he loses his virginity to her?! We would be having a long talk later.

"Thanks, Troy." Gabriella whispered barely loud enough that I could hear through the door. I leaned a little closer to hear her next words, "Were you serious about Sharpay?"

Troy laughed, "I might have been exaggerating a little. We'd better leave. Shar'll be mad if we're late and miss the movie."

I debated running to Ashley's room to hide so Troy and Gabriella wouldn't know I'd been eavesdropping on their conversation and staying so when they open the door I would be standing in the threshold, ready to yell at them. The doorknob turned in slow-motion; in a split-second decision, I scrambled down the hall to Ashley's room.

"Okay, hon. Time for a nappy-nap!" I exclaimed in a sing-song voice. Ashley yawned as I set her in her crib. We had tried to get her a normal bed, but each night she would sneak into the kitchen to get ice cream, so we replaced it with her old crib. Her heavy eyes took over, and in seconds she was asleep. I snuck downstairs before Troy and Gabriella stepped out of the room. I sat on the couch with a book as if I'd been there the entire time. I heard laughing as Troy and Gabriella stepped downstairs. My heart nearly split in two when they appeared from the stairway hand-in-hand. I choked back the sharp words that formed on my tongue.

"Troy, Gabby, don't stay out too late; it's a school night. Have fun!"

"Okay, mama!" Gabriella responded, oblivious to what I had heard.

 **Troy's POV:**

Gabriella and I arrived at the theater at exactly 6pm. Sharpay's pink convertible was parked in the closet spot to the entrance while the I could spot the rest of my friends' cars spattered throughout the parking lot. After I parked my truck, I stepped out of the door and leaped through the truck bed to open Gabriella's door for her.

"Ah, so he is a gentleman." She teased, her honey-like accent running through her words to make each one sound like its own song.

Fine. I would play along, "Yeah, I guess you could say that, but I've heard worse compliments than that. Everyone needs something new every now and then, even East High's Golden Boy." I agreed, throwing an arm across her waist while saying an internal prayer that she wouldn't flinch the same way she did last time I tried that.

 _*Flashback*_

 _"Hey, Brie, how's it goin'?" I winked, into the house after I had spent that Saturday at Chad's house for a partner project in history. She smiled, sending a flare of emotions throughout my body. Lately I'd—okay, not just lately: ever since that first week Gabriella had been our house I'd been experiencing these feelings. They were uncontrollable; every time I thought they were quieter, they'd bite me in the back, mocking me because Gabriella was going to leave at the end of the year. And now that I knew she was pregnant, it was like my life was being torn into a million pieces. How would I be able to cope when she left with the baby? I knew from the moment I saw Gabriella Montez for the first time that my life would never be the same._

 _"Doing good. And you?" She asked, a hand discreetly over her stomach, which would soon be finally showing the bundle of joy she was carrying._

 _"Would be better if we didn't have that stupid history project to do. I swear, it's like every time I close my eyes I can still read the words in that textbook! How do you stand it? You study that thing like your life depends on it!" I rolled my eyes, sitting between her and Taylor on the couch and wrapped an arm around her waist. As if I had slapped her, Gabriella shied away from my contact._

 _"Troy, what did you do to her?" Taylor asked, grasping my arm harder than I thought was possible._

 _"I did nothing!" I denied, "All I did was put my arm around her. Must've startled her or something."_

 _Taylor gave me the death glare, "If you did something to Gab-" she threatened._

 _"It's okay, Tay. He did nothing. Like he said: I just wasn't expecting him to do that so it scared me. I'm fine." Gabriella interrupted, her voice stronger than she looked. She slowly settled into my arms. If one didn't know her the way I did, they wouldn't have detected the nervousness spreading across her face._

 _"I'm not him. Don't be afraid." I murmured into her hair quiet enough that Taylor wouldn't hear me._

 _*End of Flashback*_

"It's about time you guys got here! The movie starts in a half hour!" Sharpay scoffed, running a hand through her already perfect blonde hair.

"Taylor said to be here by six!" Gabriella complained, leaning a little closer in my arms. A small shudder ran through my body with her contact—if only she knew how I felt about her. I can only dream of what it would be like if this romance we were putting on was real. The feelings racing in my bones made me wish that we could be more than this. There had to be a way for it!

"To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late, and to be late is unacceptable." Sharpay counter, a silly grin taking over her face at the sight of Gabriella. New students had always gotten Sharpay excited. It was like she did a quick routine check every time someone new came to see if they would be in the drama club—checking to see if they had the qualities to be in it and also to make sure that they wouldn't take her spot as main character.

"But doesn't that mean you're always late?" Zeke laughed, moving to stand beside his girlfriend. She turned and whacked him playfully, still, he winced and rubbed his shoulder.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side again, 'cause, dang, woman, that hurt!" Zeke smirked.

"What movie did you decide on?" Gabriella intercepted before the couple could escalate things even farther.

Momentarily forgetting about Zeke, Sharpay squealed and jerked Gabriella out of my arms for a tight hug, "I like you already! I thought no one would ever ask! It's called _P.S. I Love You_. I saw the trailer for it and knew everyone would just love it!"

Chad and I exchanged exasperated looks. If Sharpay thought we would love it then it would mean that we would be stuck in a chick flick for the next few hours, "Oh, boy." I muttered sarcastically. I had watched a chick flick with mom while she was still pregnant with Ashley. She had forced me to sit through it even though dad was reading a book, perfectly capable of being in my place. Instead, I lost two and a half hours of my life that I would never be able to get back.

"Why don't you introduce us to your _friend_ , Troy." Sharpay suggested, glancing at Gabriella twisting my class ring. She raised a blonde eyebrow at me as if saying, _she is so much more than a friend_.

"Oh, yes. Guys, this is Gabriella Montez—the foreign exchange student." I pointed to each person as I continued," Brie, this is Chad, Zeke, Sharpay, and you already know Taylor. Jason was going to come tonight but his parents forced him to stay home because of his grades. Where is Taylor, by the way?"

"Here!" Taylor ran out of the bathroom and gave Gabriella a hug, "so glad you could make it!" The bright lights in the theater reflected off Taylor's chocolatey skin, giving the room a warmer perception.

" 'I like your accent. It's,' " Sharpay paused, searching the correct word, and flashed Gabriella a smile, " 'Sweet' "

 **Ha ha! Idk. Thought it was silly that I used an actual quote from Sharpay.**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters! I can't believe how much everyone seems to like this story! And I'm sorry I haven't been able to update very fast. I am still in high school and am not available to much internet connection at home to update...which means I have like 45 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes during study hall and German(and that's only when my teacher doesn't have a week posted yet). I try to update as fast as I can but am sorry if I am not fast enough.**


	6. Chapter 6: Hidden Truth

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :) I have recently noticed that the bar lines I have put in aren't showing up on here so instead I'm going to put HSM to make it less confusing**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _"Oh, yes. Guys, this is Gabriella Montez—the foreign exchange student." I pointed to each person as I continued," Brie, this is Chad, Zeke, Sharpay, and you already know Taylor. Jason was going to come tonight but his parents forced him to stay home because of his grades. Where is Taylor, by the way?"_

 _"Here!" Taylor ran out of the bathroom and gave Gabriella a hug, "so glad you could make it!" The bright lights in the theater reflected off Taylor's chocolatey skin, giving the room a warmer perception._

 _" 'I like your accent. It's,' " Sharpay paused, searching the correct word, and flashed Gabriella a smile, " 'Sweet' "_

 **ENJOY!**

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Gabriella's POV:**

"How'd you like the movie?" I asked as Troy parked the car in our driveway.

"Truth or lie?" He asked, flashing me a smirk as he put the car in park.

"The truth, duh!" I laughed, nudging his shoulder.

"I hated every second of it." I shot Troy a playful glare. He chuckled and pulled me in for a hug, "What? You said you wanted the truth, so all I did was give you what you wanted. Don't blame me: blame yourself. I didn't really understand it. Me and chick flicks don't really go together well. You should be glad that I didn't leave. The only reason I didn't was because you were like mesmerized with the screen."

"But, Troy! It was so good! What didn't you understand?" I scoffed, spouting a fake pout.

Troy raised an eyebrow and gave me a cheeky smile, "All of it."

I rolled my eyes. There was no way I was going to explain the movie to him—all he would do was zone out and make me retell it. Shaking my head in amusement, I took off my seatbelt. Before I could process it, Troy was at the passenger door, opening the door for me.

 **Troy's POV:**

Gabriella stepped out of the car into the late summer night's chill. A gentle breeze, born from absolutely nothing, gently kissed her cheek and danced through her dark hair, pushing locks out of place. To anyone else, her hair would've looked messy—they would've told her to brush her hair before it became a rat's nest. But to me she had never looked so beautiful. She wrapped her slim arms around her body and shivered a few times. Without a second thought, I took off my Wildcat letterman jacket and handed it to Gabriella, who promptly gave me a grateful smile. Her cheeks it up in the dark, barely noticeable, except for the tone of it, which stood out from her rich, nearly black hair and sun-kissed skin.

"So, you didn't like the movie?" She asked, her voice was soft, though it broke the silence of the night.

"Eh, could've been better. Could've been worse." I shrugged, fighting my own blush as Gabriella stared into my eyes. She searched them, as if looking for something she'd lost. After a moment, she gave me one more smile. Unable to resist the urge any longer—I'd waited way too long for this moment. There was no way I would be able to wait more. I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers. I could almost hear Gabriella's heart pounding in harmony with mine. They say that when two people are in love their hearts synchronize when they meet each other's eyes, creating a song of their own. As I looked at Gabriella, I could feel the beginning of _our_ song. The rhythm undulated, the dynamics shaping the feeling in my heart. Though disappointed that Gabriella pulled away so soon, I sighed in happiness.

"It's too soon. I'm sorry!" She ran into the house, leaving me standing alone, wondering what had possessed me to kiss her even though I knew she wasn't ready yet. There I was, pouring my heart to her, not even thinking about how it would affect her. I shook my head in self-rage. I had always been a considerate person, giving people the time they needed before starting a relationship because I knew that I had my entire life ahead of me. I don't know if it was because she was leaving at the end of the year, but something in my bones wouldn't let me slow down. It was one of those moment that I felt like I needed to grab it while I had the chance, but in the end I might've reopened a wound that was finally starting to heal. I followed Gabriella's steps into my house.

"Troy Alexander Bolton. We need to talk." Was the first thing said when I stepped through the threshold. Mom and dad sat at the table with Gabriella, paler than I had ever seen her, hunched down in the seat farthest away from them. I took a deep breath and took a seat next to Gabriella and flashed her a confused look.

"Mama knows." She shuddered. I slipped a comforting hand around Gabriella's waist and nibbled my lip.

"So," mom began, "I was taking Ash for a nap earlier and I heard you and Gabby talking. Would you care to inform your father about it or should I?"

Gabriella shrunk down even farther in her seat. I gave her a small squeeze to let her know I was there for her. She looked up at me, her face a mask of calm, but her eyes sparking in fear—no, terror. It was only a look that could be described by a pregnant teenager who had been revealed. She let out a barely whimper; I pulled her closer till she buried her head in my shoulder.

Dad raised an eyebrow, "Well, is anyone going to tell me?"

I gulped, ready to speak up when mom answered, "They said something about football players doing _things_ to Sharpay. Then he said: 'no one will judge you for _our_ baby.' "

Dad was immediately on his feet, his chair falling back with an angry screech. He glared at us, shuffling a few steps closer. If looks could kill, Gabriella and I would've been slaughtered. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously quiet, "What?"

"It was an accident! No one meant for it to happen!" Gabriella sobbed.

I had to tell the truth. The only way it would seem believable was if I did. I kissed the top of Gabriella's head and whispered, "Brie, go calm yourself down. I'll take care of this."

"Are you going to tell them?" She asked, her voice wavering through her tears.

"I have to. If I don't we'll be grounded into the next century." I explained.

"Please don't." She whimpered.

"Go calm yourself down, Brie." I repeated.

Gabriella tore away from me, wiped her eyes and stormed upstairs. Part of me—the realistic part of me—yearned to tell mom and dad the truth: that the baby wasn't mine, it was the product of a rape before Gabriella came to Albuquerque. The other part ached for Gabriella. If I told them, there was a chance that she would hate me until the day I die. Plus, this was something she would have to tell them herself. It wasn't my story, it was hers. And I guess I did make a promise to claim her baby as mine.

I sighed in defeat, "It was the week after she came. She was having a bad nightmare. You guys were both in a deep sleep after your long days at work, so when I heard her starting to whimper, I went into her room and woke her up before anything could get bad and wake you guys up. I laid with her while she told me about her nightmare, " I lied, mixing together false information with the first night she slept in my room. I paused and shook my head as if I couldn't believe what I had done, "I had only meant the kiss to calm her down, but when my lips touched hers, it was like some hidden feelings were exposed. I had never experienced feelings like that with anyone else. Then, I guess you know what happened after that." I ducked my head, expressing fake guilt while mom and dad glared at me, hoping mom and dad didn't see right through my horrible lie. Gabriella stepped downstairs and returned to her seat. Mom waited until she was sitting to continue.

"I can't believe it, Troy! We raised you better than that. And, Gabby, I don't know what your mother ingrained in your head, but I'm sure it wasn't premarital sex! I'm so disappointed in both of you! Tomorrow I'm going to make you an appointment and you're getting an abortion. End of story!"

Gabriella sucked in a horrified breath and leaped to her feet. Keeping both her arms wrapped around her small baby bump, as if to protect the growing infant inside her from her rage, she shook her head at mom and dad, "No! There's no way I'm doing that! Abortion is inhumane; it's _murder_!"

"Gabriella Anne Montez, you are living under _my_ roof and you will follow my rules no matter what. If I say you're getting an abortion, _you're getting an abortion!_ " Mom yelled.

"You think it's the baby's fault? Why should it have to pay for the mistakes that it's parents made?" Gabriella retorted, her anger palpable through the air. I stood and took a step toward her—heck if I know why. Some instinct to protect my faux child and the woman I loved? Possibly because of the idea of what would come next if mom argued back? No matter what, it felt right that I should be next to Gabriella, showing that I would fight with her to save the life that was growing inside her.

"You listen to me—" mom growled.

"No, you listen to _me_!" Gabriella screamed, "Do you think I want to be pregnant, especially in a foreign country? Do you think I want to go home and explain to my mom why I'm pregnant? No! But do you realize how precious life is? It can be ripped away in a second. One day you're happily pregnant and the next you find out you've had a miscarriage! I live in a dangerous city; I've seen watched the news and heard that 50 people have been killed in one day by one stupid choice by a deranged person. I don't want to become one of those people. I will not kill, regardless if some people think an unborn baby isn't human—it is! This life inside me is a miracle, a candle in the darkest night, a whisper of hope in the depths of chaos. I will fight to keep this baby, even if it means that I must go through hell and back. This baby," Gabriella reached out and took my hand, giving it a small squeeze as she continued, "Our baby will see the light of day and feel the chill of the night whether you like it or not! So, suggest you stop trying to run my life, because, like it or not, I'm not your daughter!"

My jaw dropped; I had seen Gabriella angry before, but this time it was like watching a bomb explode. Mom's eyes glistened with tears, a few trickling down her cheeks, making a home in the creases of her skin. All what Gabriella had said hit way too close to home: Jack Bolton isn't my real dad. Mom got pregnant with me in high school and she said her mom had almost made her get an abortion, too. The day before she was supposed to have it, mom ran off. She saved my life that day. She had promised me that she would never force that upon anyone. But now, I guess she could see where her mom came from. What would it feel like to be a grandparent while you're in your mid-thirties? Dad, though, looked like he was on the edge of blowing up. His fists were clamped shut and his teeth were clenched. Sweat formed on his forehead from holding back insults that he knew he would regret if he spoke.

"I'm sorry." Mom whispered, "I was in your position, too, when I was pregnant with Troy. My mom was going to force me into an abortion, also. I swear, I will do my best to help you through this if you don't want an abortion. You and Troy talk it over if you want to keep the baby. If you decide to, there are prenatal vitamins in the medicine cabinet from when I was pregnant with Ash. If you don't, come talk with me."

Before Gabriella could say anything else, I pulled her upstairs and quietly shut my door. She collapsed on my bed and sobbed, though managing a small laugh through her tears, "I can't believe I screamed at mama!"

I sat down next to her, caressing her shoulder with one hand while wiping the tears from under her eyes with the other. Gabriella leaned into my touch. Fighting a blush, I whispered an apology for the unplanned kiss. She dipped her head before meeting my eyes and nibbling on her lip, "There's nothing for me to forgive. So, I guess you didn't tell them, then?"

I pulled Gabriella close, so close that I could feel her heart pounding against my chest, in suspense of my answer. I shook my head, "No, Brie. I didn't tell them. 'I promised. And I keep my promises'."

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

**Sorry, I have a bad habit of quoting characters. If you don't like it, I'll stop.**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters! I can't believe how much everyone seems to like this story! And I'm sorry I haven't been able to update very fast. I am still in high school and am not available to much internet connection at home to update...which means I have like 45 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes during study hall and German(and that's only when my teacher doesn't have a week posted yet). I try to update as fast as I can but am sorry if I am not fast enough.**


	7. Chapter 7: Never Enough

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :) I have recently noticed that the bar lines I have put in aren't showing up on here so instead I'm going to put HSM to make it less confusing**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _"I'm sorry." Mom whispered, "I was in your position, too, when I was pregnant with Troy. My mom was going to force me into an abortion, also. I swear, I will do my best to help you through this if you don't want an abortion. You and Troy talk it over if you want to keep the baby. If you decide to, there are prenatal vitamins in the medicine cabinet from when I was pregnant with Ash. If you don't, come talk with me."_

 _Before Gabriella could say anything else, I pulled her upstairs and quietly shut my door. She collapsed on my bed and sobbed, though managing a small laugh through her tears, "I can't believe I screamed at mama!"_

 _I sat down next to her, caressing her shoulder with one hand while wiping the tears from under her eyes with the other. Gabriella leaned into my touch. Fighting a blush, I whispered an apology for the unplanned kiss. She dipped her head before meeting my eyes and nibbling on her lip, "There's nothing for me to forgive. So, I guess you didn't tell them, then?"_

 _I pulled Gabriella close, so close that I could feel her heart pounding against my chest, in suspense of my answer. I shook my head, "No, Brie. I didn't tell them. 'I promised. And I keep my promises'."_

 **ENJOY!**

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 **Gabriella's POV:**

"I still don't think they're very happy about you keeping the baby." Troy whispered that night as I curled up next to him. Ever since the night I had the horrible dream—the night Troy had sung me to sleep—he had been letting me stay in his bed at night. It was like if I knew there was someone who cared about me and didn't care that I was yet another pregnant teen in the world, it would calm my fear to a manageable level. It was like I felt like Troy would keep me safe no matter what happened.

 _" ' It's important, too, for people to see that it only takes one person to have faith in you, to care about you to make you feel changed. We should all help each other out and give love to everyone as much as possible.' "_ Troy had told me that not long after I confided to him that I felt like no one cared about me. Mom hadn't noticed anything weird about my behavior, and me being her daughter, she should have seen that something was off about me: like how I didn't eat as much when I usually inhale my food, or that I had been frequently getting angrier—angry at life, angry at myself for not noticing any signs of Jacob being a rapist before it was too late. At one point, a week and a half before I was to come to Albuquerque, I had gotten so desperate that I had locked myself in my room with an entire bottle of pain medication that I was going to use to put myself out of my misery. I don't know what made me come to my senses as I was about to down a handful of pills, and sometimes I still wish I hadn't stopped myself, " _I care about you, Brie. If you need love, well, I've got plenty of it that I would happily give you if only to make you happy."_

I whimpered, "Troy, please, I don't want to think about that right now. I'm scared mama and papa are going to change their minds."

"Sorry, Brie," Troy whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead, "Anything I can do to help?"

"Sing to me? Your voice always relaxes me." I suggested, closing my eyes, waiting for Troy's deep, calming voice to wash over my ears.

"You know I can't sing!" Troy retorted playfully before taking a deep breath and beginning to sing,

" 'I'm trying to hold my breath

Let it stay this way

Can't let this moment end

You set off a dream in me

Getting louder now

Can you hear it echoing?

Take my hand

Will you share this with me

'Cause darling without you

All the shine of a thousand spotlights

All the stars we steal from the

Night sky

Will never be enough

Never be enough

Towers of gold are still too little

These hands could hold the world

But it'll

Never be enough

Never be enough

For me

Never, never

Never, never

Never for me

For me

Never enough

Never enough

For me

For me

For me

All the shine of a thousand spotlights

All the stars we steal from the

Night sky

Will never be enough

Never be enough

Towers of gold are still too little

These hands could hold the world

But it'll

Never be enough

Never be enough

For me

Never, never

Never, never

Never for me

For me

Never enough, never, never

Never enough, never, never

Never enough

For me

For me

For me

For me ' "

My already heavy eyes slowly closed, and I gratefully accepted the sleep that enveloped my barely conscious mind.

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Troy's POV (1 month later):**

"Troy, look at me," Gabriella cried, holding her now big baby bump—nearly the size of a basketball, "I'm fat!"

We were on the way to the obstetrician for her month visit, which Gabriella and I had been sneaking out for earlier. Now that mom and dad knew about the baby, it made it so much easier to get to the checkups. We no longer had to sneak out, saying that we were going over to our friends' houses, hoping that we wouldn't be caught.

"Brie, you're not fat. You're pregnant. There's a difference!" I countered

"Oh, so now you're saying it's completely natural that I'm fat and implying that I'm being ridiculous? Thanks for being supportive!" Gabriella yelled, brushing the tears forming in her eyes.

I shook my head and pulled Gabriella into my arms; she rested her head on my shoulder. No matter how angry she was, she couldn't resist the feeling of being in my arms. The muscles resting against her body always relaxed her.

"Oh, Brie, you're not fat and I especially don't think you're ridiculous." I whispered

She raised her head and met my eyes, "I don't want to go to the appointment. I'm fat and I'm ugly and everyone will agree." She decided.

I gasped and pulled away, searching her eyes, "Gabriella Anne Montez, don't you dare call yourself ugly! You are, no joke, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. And for the last time, you're not fat!" Gabriella looked down at the ground before meeting my eyes again, hers filled with tears threatening to spill over. She pulled out of my arms and slowly lowered herself until she was sitting on my bed. Once there, she sniffled.

 _Great,_ I though, _whenever I try to make her feel better about herself, I make her cry. What kind of person does that make me?_ I thought. I took a deep breath, ignoring the feeling to comfort her—I had just been trying to do that and made it worse. What would happen if I tried again? I turned the opposite direction and loped down the stairs and walked into the kitchen where mom was doing the dishes.

"Mom, I need your help." I sighed, running a hand through my hair

"What is it?" Mom poked her head around the corner and laughed at my grin expression.

"Brie thinks she's fat and ugly." I shook my head, "I tried to tell her that she's not, but I think I only made it worse. She's crying, and I don't know how to make her stop!"

Mom laughed again, "You've got to be very gentle with her. Her hormones are going crazy right now. If you seem too harsh to her, she will cry." She explained, wiping her hands dry on a towel. Once she finished, I followed her upstairs. She entered my room and sat down next to Gabriella, putting an arm around her.

"You're not fat, hon. I know how you feel. When I was pregnant with Ash and Troy, I felt the same way, but you know what? It was just how I saw myself—no one else thought I was fat. No one here, or anywhere thinks you're fat."

"Really?" Gabriella gasped, shocked that no one thought she was fat. I waited expectantly for mom to get tougher like she usually is, but instead, she leaned closer to Gabriella and whispered so quietly it was as if she was only moving her mouth. I didn't understand why Gabriella was so upset about her "fatness". It was only baby weight. Once she would give birth, nearly all of it would be gone. She almost instantaneously giggled, any sign that she was crying only moments before gone. Mom stood and patted her back, leaving me wondering how mom was able to so quickly solve my problem.

"How'd you do that?" I asked in awe.

"You've got to relate with her while also letting her know that what she thinks isn't true," mom continued out of my room, but turned around once she had stepped through the threshold, "Oh, and I told her that you were a fat baby."

My face instantly heated up in embarrassment, "Why would you do that? It was baby fat and nothing more! Thanks, that was one of my closest guarded secret!" I shook my head and rolled my eyes as mom answered. 

She raised an eyebrow, "Would you rather have a crying woman on your hands or a laughing one because I told her your little secret?"

I shrugged in defeat, "Laughing, I guess."

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**Gabriella's POV: (Warning to any kids reading this. I have a paragraph where a football player says something naughty to Gabriella. I advise that you skip it; you won't be missing anything important. I mostly put it in so that not everyone would be as accepting of Gabriella's pregnancy as her friends are)**

"So, are you and Troy an item?" Sharpay leaned over the table, as if it was something that must be kept silent. She wiggled an eyebrow in anticipation of my answer.

I bit my lip and flashed Sharpay a sideways smile. Those Americans and their slang. Somehow, even though I have only lived in the United States for barely three months, they expected me to understand every stupid slang word, "Item?"

"Dating." Taylor corrected, giving me a mischievous grin as she overexplained, "Like Chad and I are. It's when you go out with someone to spend more time with them."

I looked down in my lap and blushed. Sharpay squealed and hugged me, already sensing my answer. Well, the answer Troy had told me to tell anyone who asked. I slipped a protective hand over my stomach. Noticing the hand, Sharpay whispered, "How's she doing?". I had decided not too long after the movie to tell my friends about the baby. Troy, keeping his word, had immediately said he was the father. Sharpay, though, was bound and determined to think it was a girl. Taylor guessed a boy. Chad, being the way he was, guessed hermaphrodite, which had instantaneously earned a slap by Taylor.

Ever since I had begun to really show my pregnancy, girls, suspecting the father as Troy since we hung around each other more than any of our other friends, had been giving me dirty looks. They were hard to ignore, even though Troy said the other girls are just jealous that he found a girl prettier than them. The jocks always whispered while I was around: probably saying how fat I was.

"The baby is fine. We're going to find out the gender tonight!" I responded, doing a little excited tap dance with my feet as I spoke.

"I know it's a girl. And when she's born, I'm taking her to the mall to get her a bunch of pink clothes." Sharpay stated.

"And if it's a boy?" I asked, curious of what her answer would be to that.

"Uh, no. It won't be. Trust me. I feel it in my bones."

 **(Author: WARNING! Naughty area is while Gabriella heads to the bathroom. Might want to skip this part)**

I grinned, "Well, I feel it in my bladder. So if you excuse me, I'm gonna use the restroom." I followed the path I take nearly every day to the restroom. Unfortunately, I have to go past the jock table to get to it. As I passed the table, one of them, feeling extra bold today, grabbed my arm and forced me to a stop, "Let go of my arm!" I exclaimed, trying to yank myself free of his rock-hard grasp.

"You're a pretty one. Well, pretty for a slut, I guess. When are your hours? I'd like to take a turn with you. Are you available after school from 4 to 8pm? Anyone else want a chance with the prostitute?" Derek asked.

 **(Author: Naughty part over)**

"No, she's not!" Troy's voice came from behind me. I flinched as he lunged forward and punched Derek in the face. He immediately let go of my arm to cover his bleeding nose. Troy instantaneously grabbed my arm, the most forceful he'd ever been with me, and pulled me the opposite direction of the restroom. Once out of the cafeteria, he let go of my arm but led my around the school until we reached the balcony at the top of the school. Staring out at the view, I gaped, glancing over to see Troy's reaction. His eyes were closed and his fists clenched, "Derek," he growled, "What exactly did he say to you?"

My voice trembled as I spoke—apparently, I was more shaken from it than I thought, "I don't want to repeat the things he said. They were nasty, Troy."

He shook his head, "Don't let him bother you. Derek just hates my guts. Has for the past two-and-a-half years. Unknown reason. One day, he just decided he didn't like me anymore. We were really good friends, but now. Not so much."

"Okay." I smiled up at Troy, blushing when I saw he was staring at me, "What?"

"We still have a while until lunch is over. Dance with me?"

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

**While I was writing this chapter, I looked over my previous chapters just for the heck of it. I never realized some of the mistakes I made. I apologize if it made them hard to read.**

 **Actual Vanessa Hudgens quote. And that song(so I don't get sued)was "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters! I can't believe how much everyone seems to like this story! And I'm sorry I haven't been able to update very fast. I am still in high school and am not available to much internet connection at home to update...which means I have like 45 minutes to 1 hr 30 minutes during study hall and German(and that's only when my teacher doesn't have a week posted yet). I try to update as fast as I can but am sorry if I am not fast enough.**


	8. Chapter 8: This Is Me

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :) I have recently noticed that the bar lines I have put in aren't showing up on here so instead I'm going to put HSM to make it less confusing**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _My voice trembled as I spoke—apparently, I was more shaken from it than I thought, "I don't want to repeat the things he said. They were nasty, Troy."_

 _He shook his head, "Don't let him bother you. Derek just hates my guts. Has for the past two-and-a-half years. Unknown reason. One day, he just decided he didn't like me anymore. We were really good friends, but now. Not so much."_

 _"Okay." I smiled up at Troy, blushing when I saw he was staring at me, "What?"_

 _"We still have a while until lunch is over. Dance with me?"_

 **ENJOY!**

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Troy's POV:**

The bell for free period rang; faster than I thought I could move, I ran to Derek's locker. He could mess with me all he wanted. Treat me like a disease; ignore me; beat me up, I didn't give a crap of how bad he treated me, but it's a whole different story when he started doing the same thing to Gabriella. There's no way I was going to let him get away with that. He didn't know how much she had been through, and frankly, he probably wouldn't care. I dodged past people, trying my hardest to not shove them to the side. I stopped in my tracks at Derek's locker. The smug look he wore only made me angrier.

"You leave Gabriella alone!" I growled, nose-to-nose with the only person I've ever hated.

"Shut up, Bolton. You're just jealous that you can't attract the ladies as well as I can." Derek rolled his eyes.

"That poor girl has been through so much. If you even think about looking about her, I'll make sure you regret it!" I glowered.

"You don't run my life, Bolton. If I want to call her rude names, I will—you can't stop me," My anger boiled to the surface, barely contained by the small lid that covered it. I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath to try to calm down. Derek, though, seeing me on the edge of losing control, pushed his limits. He gave me an evil grin and continued, "In fact, I might just do her tonight!"

The imaginary lid popped off. My vision went red with anger and I let out an outraged yell through my clamped teeth. I lashed out as hard as I could, not sure where I had hit him, but satisfied when I heard him cry out in pain. Through the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, I heard a small voice crying out my name. A familiar voice—it grounded my anger. I let out a deep breath, my vision turning to normal colors, and turned to see who had called me. There, standing ten feet away, was Gabriella, horrified at the scene that laid before her.

"Troy stop!" Her voice shook in terror. She wrapped her arms securely around her stomach, partly in fear and partly to shield the baby from my rage. I shook my head and, for the second time that day, grabbed her arm and led her away from Derek.

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

"Why'd you stop me?" I complained. Though my anger level was still high, I could feel it begin to lower. My heartbeat slowed to a normal tempo. Gabriella looked at me, giving me a surprisingly warm smile. I didn't know how she managed it knowing what she'd witnessed the only boy she trusted attack someone.

" ' I am not a stranger to the dark

Hide away, they say

'cause we don't want your broken parts

I've learned to be ashamed of all my scars

Run away, they say

No one will love you as you are

But I won't let them break me down to dust

I know that there's a place for us

For we are glorious

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down

I'm gonna send a flood,

Gonna drown them out

I am brave

I am bruised

I am who I'm meant to be

This is me

Look out 'cause here I come

And I'm marchin' out to the beat I drum

I'm not scared

To be seen

I make no apologies

This is me

Oh, oh

Oh, oh

Oh, oh

Oh oh oh

Another round of bullets hits my skin

Well, fire away, 'cause today

I won't let the shame sink in

We are burstin' through the barricades

And reachin' for the sun

We are warriors

Yeah, that's what we've become

Yeah, that's what we've become

I won't let them break me down to dust

I know that there's a place for us

For we are glorious

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down

I'm gonna send a flood

Gonna drown 'em out

I am brave

I am bruised

I am who I'm meant to be

This is me

Look out 'cause here I come

And I'm marchin' out to the beat I drum

I'm not scared to be seen

I make no apologies

This is me

Oh, oh

Oh, oh

Oh, oh

Oh oh oh

This is me

And I know that I deserve your love

Oh, oh

Oh, oh

There's nothing I'm not worthy of

Oh, oh

Oh oh oh

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down

I'm gonna send a flood

Gonna drown them out

This is brave

This is bruised

This is who I'm meant to be

This is me

Look out 'cause here I come

Look out 'cause here I come

And I'm marchin' on to the beat I drum

Marchin' on

To the beat I drum

Marchin' on, marchin' on

I'm not scared to be seen

I make no apologies

This is me

Whenever the words, oh

Wanna cut me down

Oh

I'll send the flood, oh

To drown 'em out

Oh, oh

I'm gonna send a flood

Gonna drown 'em out

Oh, oh

Oh oh oh

Oh

This is me' "

 **Gabriella's POV:**

Troy's mouth dropped open as I finished the song. I sighed and shook my head, turning my back to Troy—I'd always felt nervous speaking to anyone about my plans, to any man, actually. Well, except maybe Jacob. I used to be the person to go to him about anything and everything. When I was afraid to speak in front of people, he would find a way for me to not be nervous. But now he was out of the question. There was no way that I would ever speak to that monster again. I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath and turned back around. Now that Jacob was out of my life, I would need a man to talk to; a man to be in my life the way Jacob was before we had fallen apart. I needed to face my fears face-to-face.

"I decided to take your advice and ignore it. 'If people don't like me for whatever I do, for being me, then that's too bad. I don't want to change to be something that I'm not for people to like me.' If guys want to make fun of me for being 17 and pregnant, then that's their problem." I smiled up a Troy, blushing when he brushed a thumb across my cheek.

"That's a brave thing to think, Brie." He leaned down and gave me a whisper of a kiss, "Is this okay?"

 _The only way to get over something is to move on,_ I thought before answering, " 'In every language: _Oui, si, ja, yes._ ' "( **I'm sorry! I really love quoting people! Don't judge me!)**

Troy grinned in happiness before once again pressing is lips against mine. I tangled my fingers in his hair, surprised at how easily this was even after what I'd been through with Jacob raping me. I could feel, almost all too warily to enjoy the feeling, Troy's hands wrapped tightly around my waist. For the first time since then, I opened my heart, allowing there to finally be a place in it for someone. My heart seemed to explode with a feeling I hadn't felt since Jacob—it had been shut off ever since he raped me and now that I had Troy with me, he seemed to break through the fear that had been blocking the entrance.

I was almost disappointed when Troy pulled away and led me to a bench, where we sat down. I sighed happily and laid my head on his shoulder. Troy stiffened for a second at the touch, but once used to the feeling, he relaxed.

"How's the baby doing?" He asked

"Good. Sharpay's bound and intent on thinking that it's a girl." I laughed

"How does she know?" He snickered, "What are you going to name _her_?"

I gulped, unable to figure out how to word the sentence, "I. Um. I kinda hoped you would help me pick out names."

Troy's eyes widened, the joy sparkling in them made the blue of his irises seem even brighter, "Are you sure?" His tone was nervous, almost as if he was afraid that I would change my mind last minute.

"I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't sure." I smiled, giving his neck a peck.

"I would love to help you pick out a name." He breathed, lifting my head off of his shoulders. His eyes stared into mine, full of adoration. He slowly closed the distance between us until my forehead was pressed against his, "You have no idea how long I've hoped you would ask that."

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

**While I was writing this chapter, I looked over my previous chapters just for the heck of it. I never realized some of the mistakes I made. I apologize if it made them hard to read. Sorry this chapter was so short.**

 **Sorry! I really love quoting people. So I don't get sued, I don't own that HSM 3 quote or the Vanessa Hudgens quote. That song was "This is Me" from The Greatest Showman. I don't own it.**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters!**


	9. Chapter 9: Surprise Visit

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :) I have recently noticed that the bar lines I have put in aren't showing up on here so instead I'm going to put HSM to make it less confusing**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _Troy's eyes widened, the joy sparkling in them made the blue of his irises seem even brighter, "Are you sure?" His tone was nervous, almost as if he was afraid that I would change my mind last minute._

 _"I wouldn't have asked you if I wasn't sure." I smiled, giving his neck a peck._

 _"I would love to help you pick out a name." He breathed, lifting my head off of his shoulders. His eyes stared into mine, full of adoration. He slowly closed the distance between us until my forehead was pressed against his, "You have no idea how long I've hoped you would ask that."_

 **ENJOY!**

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Gabriella's POV:**

Troy and I sat in the waiting room at the obstetrician's office. Mama and papa couldn't come—papa was at a meeting out of town and mama was on her way home from the hospital. The thing I didn't understand was if papa worked at the school, why was the meeting out of town? Were they going to fire him? If they fired him, would I still be able to stay at East High, or would I be forced to go back to Mexico because they wouldn't be able to support an extra person in their house? The thought brought the taste of bile into my throat. When I first left Mexico, the idea of moving, though it wasn't too far away, brought tears into my eyes. Now that I've made friends and met Troy, I really didn't want to leave. I would rather stay in Albuquerque for the rest of my life so I could be near Troy than go home and be a thousand miles away from him forever.

"Ms. Montez." A nurse poked her head out the door, calling my name. Her voice brought me out of my daze. I stood, earning dirty looks from older women. I rolled my eyes and ignored them. High chance they thought that Troy was the one who got me pregnant, "This your boyfriend?" She asked. Part of me yearned to tell her that I was raped just to see the look on the faces of those who gave me dirty looks. The other part decided that it might not be the best idea. She could assume that Troy was the rapist and report him.

"Yeah." I ducked my head as if I was ashamed to admit so.

Troy took my hand and gave it a quick squeeze as if to say _don't worry, I'm here for you_. We followed the nurse into the examination room. She ordered me to roll my shirt up so she could spread the chilly ultrasound gel on my stomach. Once finished, she rubbed the transducer( **the wand used in ultrasounds to produce an image on the sonogram in case you didn't know** ) around my stomach until the image on the sonogram was clear. I gasped, tears on the edge of spilling out of my eyes. There it was, the baby that had caused so much trouble. But what I thought would be anger at Jacob or fear as to what would come after this visit when I saw my baby was replaced by joy; happiness; excitement; and, surprisingly, pride. I may have not had a say in it, but I had helped create the amazing life dwelling inside me. It was so delicate looking, as if I were to move too quickly it would break. I glanced over at Troy, curious to see what his expression would be: he seemed to be mesmerized by the image on the sonogram as well. His mouth opened and closed, trying to form words, but none came out.

"It's beautiful," I murmured, searching the screen for a sign of gender. But unable to spot anything, I turned to Dr. Ploge, "I can't tell what it is."

She gave a small chuckle and pointed to the sonogram, "Well, this one," she said, making an invisible circle the baby. Not the baby I was looking at. My insides seemed to turn—if that wasn't the baby I was looking at, then that must mean: twins! "is a girl. That one," moving her finger to the opposite end of the sonogram, "this other one is turned at such an angle that I can't really see anything either. That makes me wonder if this baby is going to breech."

"Brie! They're amazing!" Troy breathed once he found his voice, "But twins? Are you sure? They're so rare. Also, what's breech, 'cause I don't speak medical."

"My mom has a twin sister. Fraternal, but have so many similarities that people think they're identical. Having twins in your genetics makes it easier to have them," I explained, shaking my head, "But I didn't think—," I trailed off, unable to express the fear and unforeseen joy that lingered in my bones—a breech birth could be dangerous for not only me but for the baby, or babies, too.

"Breech birth is when the baby comes into the birth canal feet first instead of head first. When the mother goes into labor, it usually means that there will have to be a C-Section." Dr. Ploge explained.

My heart leaped into my throat in fear, "But my babies?" I asked, nibbling my lip.

"All tests for mental or physical disorders are negative—they're perfectly healthy. We'll have to wait and see if that baby breeches. There's still sometime for your placenta to possibly shift off the birth canal, so don't worry about that. It tends to move during pregnancy."

"Thank you so much, Dr." Troy whispered, sounding nervous yet grateful for the reassurance Dr. Ploge offered.

"No problem." She smiled, shaking Troy's outstretched hand.

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

I held a protective arm around my stomach. All the girls at school now knew that Troy was the father. They were upset that: 1. he was "dating" someone other than them and 2. because he hadn't lost his virginity to them.

"If only they really knew." I murmured to my babies. _Babies_ —it was hard to get used to saying that instead of singular baby. I still was surprised that mom's twin genes had affected my ovaries. I had never expected to have twins, but now that I was pregnant with them, it was so much more real. It must've been how my grandmother felt when she found out about my mom and my aunt.

"If only they really knew what?" I jumped when Troy's voice came unexpectedly from behind me.

"All the girls hate me now!" I whisper-yelled at him, not actually angry, but unhappy that my only possible friends now were limited to Taylor and Sharpay.

"Oh, so what? You got me and I might as well take up at least half of the student body here. What do you have to worry about? You already know that I'll go to extreme measures to protect you." Troy let out a small laugh, alluding to when he punched Derek in the hall. And in the cafeteria—I had nearly forgotten about that.

"Okay, Mr. Popular." I rolled my eyes. Kayla and Kenzie whispered something to each other and not-so-discreetly pointed at me and shot me a dirty look. I sighed and bit my tongue to avoid shouting something I'd regret later, "Qué idiotas. Ocúpate de tus asuntos!" I growled in Spanish.

Troy leaned over and kissed the top of my head, "I'm digging Zachary Alexander for the boy." He said loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. I laughed when the two girls scoffed and turned away. I leaned back into Troy's chest, relaxing when his arms slipped around my waist. He put his mouth next to my ear, so close that I could fell his breath tickling my neck and almost hear his racing heartbeat.

"What is it, Troy? 'The Wildcats' superstar is... _afraid?'_ " I teased, turning my head so I could kiss his cheek.

" 'No, no, I'm not afraid. I'm just...scared.' " he smiled, his breath coming in small, jagged gasps.

"Troy, just spit it—" I began but was interrupted by Troy.

"I love you!" He blurted

My heart leaped in my chest and fought the deep blush that formed on my cheeks. There was no way I could say this without breaking my and his heart. I blinked back a few tears and turned so I could face him, "Troy, you know it's not that easy. I'm leaving at the end of the school year. I'm not here to stay. I shook my head, awestruck that I was admitting this, "Four months ago when you picked me up from the airport, I would've rather jumped off a cliff than move here. But now that I am here—I've made friends, and more than friends—I just don't." My voice broke, " 'Don't want to leave it all behind.' Going back home is going to be so hard. I can't—"

"But Brie!" Troy complained, pulling me in close.

"No, Troy! I can't have another heartbreak! Jacob was hard enough. Now you? I—I just can't do this! It's not you, it's me!" I pulled away and ungracefully ran off.

"Brie, wait!" Troy called after me.

"No, Troy! You've been so wonderful to me. I can't imagine how hard this year would've been without you, but we can't be like this anymore! I'm sorry!" I retorted, running as quickly as I could to my next period class.

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

I didn't go straight home after school. Instead, I texted mama to tell her that I was going to have dinner at Taylor's house tonight. She didn't put up much of a fight—she really didn't have a choice to. I had told her that Taylor invited me. I did feel a little bad for lying to mama, but what else could I do? It was like I told Troy: it couldn't ever be that simple. We couldn't whisk away our problems with the wave of our hand. Believe me, if it was possible, I would've done that months ago; I would've made it possible for me to stay in Albuquerque for the rest of my life. And surprisingly, I don't think I would change what Jacob did to me—would I risk everything I had been through with Jacob to not have these babies? The way I felt the first time I saw them in the sonogram, was it worth everything that happened?

 _Yes_ , I thought, _it was worth it._

"What are you thinking about?" Taylor asked me on the drive home from school.

"Eh, a lot. Too much, really." I shrugged, holding back tears—I still couldn't believe what I said to Troy. Yes, it is true that I don't know exactly how to feel about him. Did I love him? Or was he just a crush? Did I even like him in more than a friend? But he didn't deserve anything that I had said. After all he had done for me: comforted me while I was lying there, screaming like baby; cared about me when I felt like no one else had; claimed the twins as his even when his reputation was on the line; and loved me while I didn't deserve it. Then I just dissed him!

"Come on, tell me!" Taylor urged as she pulled into her driveway.

I sighed sorrowfully, letting a few tears trickle out of my eyes and onto my cheeks, "I broke up with Troy. I don't know what I was thinking!"

 **Troy's POV:**

The hours that passed by without Gabriella were like murder—it felt like someone had slashed my heart out of my chest. I flopped down on my bed and choked back an angry yet melancholy sob. Tossing my plush basketball at the ceiling, I tried to eliminate anything that would remind me of Gabriella out of my head. But even as I just looked around my room, it seemed as if everything was about her. As I looked at my basketball trophies, I could see her admiring them the first day she was at our house. The pictures of us that surrounded my room, they were proof of our feelings; I could understand where she was coming from when she left me, but the way she presented it was what hurt the most. _It's not you, it's me,_ she had said. I shook my head and stormed out of my room and toward the door. I needed to make this right, and the only way to is to talk to Gabriella—my Gabriella. I opened the door but was horror-struck when a man stood just outside of the threshold. It was almost as if I had met him before, seemingly familiar, but at the same time he wasn't.

"Hello," he began. Though he looked American, he had a thick Mexican accent, "I know you probably don't know who I am or how much I have been through to get here. I've been searching for a while. Is this the Bolton household?"

"Um, yes. And who are you?" I responded, gesturing mom to come over, who was standing twenty feet away with a curious expression dancing around her features.

The man gave me a sideways smile. It was enough to swoon all the girls within a hundred miles, "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. I'm Jacob Fisher."

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

**While I was writing this chapter, I looked over my previous chapters just for the heck of it. I never realized some of the mistakes I made. I apologize if it made them hard to read.**

 **Sorry! I really love quoting people. So I don't get sued, I don't own that HSM 2 quote.**

 **Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters!**


	10. Chapter 10: Jacob Fisher

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :) I have recently noticed that the bar lines I have put in aren't showing up on here so instead I'm going to put HSM to make it less confusing.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _I shook my head and stormed out of my room and toward the door. I needed to make this right, and the only way to is to talk to Gabriella—my Gabriella. I opened the door but was horror-struck when a man stood just outside of the threshold. It was almost as if I had met him before, seemingly familiar, but at the same time he wasn't._

 _"Hello," he began. Though he looked American, he had a thick Mexican accent, "I know you probably don't know who I am or how much I have been through to get here. I've been searching for a while. Is this the Bolton household?"_

 _"Um, yes. And who are you?" I responded, gesturing mom to come over, who was standing twenty feet away with a curious expression dancing around her features._

 _The man gave me a sideways smile. It was enough to swoon all the girls within a hundred miles, "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. I'm Jacob Fisher."_

 **I decided to have this chapter mostly focused on how Jacob tracked down Gabriella. Sorry that it's not on Troy and Gabriella right now!** **For the sake of understanding and time, I didn't put any of Jacob's conversations in Mexico in Spanish(Like I did in the 1** **st** **chapter when Gabriella and her mom were talking)ENJOY!**

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Jacob's POV:**

I flopped down on my bed, staring at my ceiling intently. The plan I had ever since I'd met Gabriella had been complete. But the satisfaction I thought I would've felt wasn't there. Instead, it was replaced with guilt. I'd tricked Gabriella into the taxi cab, not even planning on taking her out for dinner. Even worse, I paid the driver to not do anything—to not report of what he'd seen, to not act when I began, and to never speak of me again. I shook my head and buried my face into the covers and let out an angry groan. What had I done? It was true that I loved Gabriella, but I didn't know if she would've given me what I wanted from her so quickly. And then I break all the trust I had with her by my selfish feelings for her.

"Goodness, what am I going to do?" I muttered to myself.

 _Lie low,_ a voice in my head spoke _, don't let her report you or you'll be in jail for sure. Don't let anyone know what you've done!_ Without a second thought, I agreed with the anonymous voice. I wouldn't let a soul know what happened.

 **5 months later:**

"Hey, whatever happened to you and that pretty girl you were dating? You haven't spoke of her in a while. Usually she's all you talk about." Michelle, my best friend from high school asked. She gave me a sideways glance when my face fell, "You broke up, didn't you?"

I nodded guiltily, "Sort of. I wish it was only that simple, though."

Michelle placed a hand on my shoulder to provide some support, "She seemed like a forgiving girl. I'm sure if you apologized for breaking up with her you'd at least feel a little better about it. She would, too."

Anger heated in my chest, "Except I didn't just break up with her! She broke up with me after I did something I shouldn't have! Please, just leave me alone!" I yelled, shrugging Michelle's hand off my shoulder and running in the opposite direction. I swore, every time I started to forgive myself even a little, someone had to go and ask about Gabriella, which only caused the guilt to flood back over me.

 _What have I done? What have I done?_ I needed to see her. I doubted that she would even look at me. Why would she? If someone would've done the same thing to me that I did to her, I would hate them forever _What have I done? What have I done?_ Without thinking, I found myself standing on the front step of Gabriella's house. I didn't even remember running there. I was there, I might as well try to talk to her. I mean, the worst she could do is beat me up, which I honestly deserved. I would take any beating she threw at me. I raised a trembling hand and knocked on the door, holding my breath while I waited for an answer.

"Just a second!" Someone called from inside the house. I heard banging as they ran downstairs as fast as they could without falling. Within moments, the door opened, and Marià Montez stood on the inside, "Oh, Jacob. It's nice to see you! It's been a while. May I help you?"

"Yeah, Ms. Montez. I need to see Gabriella." I muttered nervously.

"Um, I'm sorry, but Gabby isn't here right now. She's in the United States for the year. Didn't she tell you she was going?" Marià apologized

"Oh, yes. She did. I must've forgotten. Do you know where she's staying?" I inwardly cursed myself for forgetting that Gabriella was a foreign exchange student. I remembered her telling me once about how much she didn't want to go. I swore, I sat there for like three and a half hours trying to comfort her.

"There's a picture and an address up in her room. You can go look at it. I'm busy right now." Marià stepped aside to let me into her house, "You know where her room is, so just go right up."

I gave Marià a weak smile and slowly made my way up to Gabriella's room. If only she knew that she'd let a rapist into her home. What would she think if she found out what I'd done to her only child? I shook my head to clear my thoughts as I stepped into Gabriella's familiar room. I had been here many times, only now I felt uninvited even though she was at least a thousand miles away from her home. On her bed was a pile of clothes, no doubt in a hurry to pick her clothes for the day she left. Feeling as if she deserved it, I quickly folded them and put them away in her drawers. I noticed underneath the pile was a small book. Unable to contain my curiosity, I opened to the first page, and noticed an entry.

 _Not just a book,_ I thought, _her diary_. Without a second thought, I flipped through her diary until I reached June 26—the day before I raped her—and read through the page.

 _Jacob is taking me out tomorrow! I'm so excited. I can't believe we've been dating almost the entire summer. He's the longest boyfriend I've ever had, and I love him so much. I know that where ever I am, if I am with him I will be safe. I hope that tomorrow goes great. But I can't help feeling sad—next month I'll be leaving for Albuquerque and I don't know how I'll stand it being away from him for so long. What if when I come back he'll have another girlfriend or he doesn't love me anymore? I love you, Jacob, so much. Never forget that. Even in the lowest part of our lives, my love for you will stay the same._

 _Love,_

 _Gabriella Anne Montez_

I took a deep breath, holding back tears—I hadn't known that her feelings went that deep. I mean, I knew she really like me, but I couldn't—. I turned a few pages until the entry faced me said August 5. Taking a nervous breath, I began reading. Though, unlike the entries I had seen as I turned to this one, it was written in English. Not Spanish. Obviously, she was trying to hide something, since Marià didn't understand English.

 _August 6_

 _What am I going to do? For the past few mornings, I've been throwing up. Mom thinks that I have the stomach flu, but I know that's not it. If I had it, I would be throwing up all the time, not just in the mornings. I snuck out today, saying that I was going to Julia's house, but went to the store to buy a pregnancy test. It came back positive, all thanks to Jacob! If he hadn't raped me, I wouldn't be in this position right now! Thanks to Jacob, I'm going to the United States pregnant! I hate him! I hate him so much! I know I said earlier that I would never stop loving him but was before he decided to betray me. That jerk! I just can't think right now. All I know is that I hate him._

 _Love,_

 _Gabriella_

My fingers shook as I took all the information in—Gabriella pregnant from me? _What have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE?_ I internally cursed myself for my stupidity. Why did I even think for a second that she would forgive me after what I did to her. I sighed and closed the book and began searching for the address that she was staying at. She had said in her diary that she was going to Albuquerque. I remembered learning about an Albuquerque, New Mexico when we studied world history in middle school. Could that be where she was going? I searched for another ten minutes, shuffling through papers in her filing cabinet until I finally found something promising: a packet that was so big that it needed three staples to hold it together all the way. Paperclipped to the front was a picture of a gorgeous woman, though she had wrinkles forming under her eyes, and a man with his arm around her. I slipped the picture off and turned it around to find an address. _4692 South Main St. Albuquerque, NM 80711_

I carefully stuffed the picture into my pocket, making sure not to ruin it, and ran downstairs, thanking Marià on my way out of the house. As soon as I got home, I began packing bags for a decently long trip. While mom and dad weren't looking, I snuck downstairs and grabbed enough food to last me the days I would be gone.

I laid in my bed, only pretending to sleep until I heard the simultaneous snores coming from my parent's room. As quietly as I could, I tip-toed out of my room and out the front door. I shut the door, hoping the sound wouldn't wake my sleeping family. As I pulled out of the driveway, I swore I saw mom peeking out of her window.

 _I'm gonna have it when I get home_ , I internally groaned.

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I took a deep breath as I took in the view of Albuquerque. Buildings, higher than I had ever seen them, seemed to touch the sky. One of them, still in the building process, had someone probably a good two thousand feet in the sky as they continued to build on to it.

"Wow,"I breathed, "This is nothing like Mexico City." Traffic on some roads was nearly bumper to bumper, while other roads I passed were completely empty. Police sirens wailed in the distance, sending shudders down my back, as if they were out after me. Ever since I had raped Gabriella, I tensed at the sound of the sirens: afraid that someone had witnessed it and reported me. I don't know how long it took for me to find south main street, but when I did find it, it was pitch black outside and my eyes were burning from the lack of sleep.

I shook my head as my phone rang again. Glancing at the contact name, I ignored the call—mom again. I should've guessed that this would happen. I mean, my mom is super over protective as it is, and when she notices that her son is gone, it would mean that she wouldn't stop calling until I either 1. answered or 2. came home, "Sorry, mom. Not today."

I pulled into the driveway at the side of the road and turned on my light inside my car so I could look at the picture again. _Marlee and Jack Bolton_ , the picture had written on it. Bolton, I would have to remember the name. I bit my lip as I got out of my car and stepped on to the front porch. My fist lingered in front of the door for a second before I gained the confidence to knock. I held my breath, just as I was about to knock, the door was flung open and a boy, probably around my age stood in the doorway. The woman from the picture wasn't in sight.

"Hello," I began, hoping the boy would give me a chance to speak before he slammed the door in my face, "I know you probably don't know who I am or how much I have been through to get here. I've been searching for a while. Is this the Bolton household?"

"Um, yes. And who are you?" he responded, making a strange, waving gesture beside him. Immediately, the woman from the picture appeared. _Marlee_ , I reminded myself.

I gave the boy a sideways smile, cursing myself when I realized it was the same smile I used to get Gabriella on my side, "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. I'm Jacob Fisher."

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**Thanks to all who reviewed on my previous chapters!**

 **Sorry it took a while for me to write this chapter. It was more like a last-minute chapter. I usually have a rough draft of each one written out before I type them and then add extra details, but this one I didn't have written down, so it was a little harder for me to just come up with this.**


	11. Chapter 11: Not Me!

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :) I have recently noticed that the bar lines I have put in aren't showing up on here so instead I'm going to put HSM to make it less confusing.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _I pulled into the driveway at the side of the road and turned on my light inside my car so I could look at the picture again. Marlee and Jack Bolton, the picture had written on it. Bolton, I would have to remember the name. I bit my lip as I got out of my car and stepped on to the front porch. My fist lingered in front of the door for a second before I gained the confidence to knock. I held my breath, just as I was about to knock, the door was flung open and a boy, probably around my age stood in the doorway. The woman from the picture wasn't in sight._

 _"Hello," I began, hoping the boy would give me a chance to speak before he slammed the door in my face, "I know you probably don't know who I am or how much I have been through to get here. I've been searching for a while. Is this the Bolton household?"_

 _"Um, yes. And who are you?" he responded, making a strange, waving gesture beside him. Immediately, the woman from the picture appeared. Marlee, I reminded myself._

 _I gave the boy a sideways smile, cursing myself when I realized it was the same smile I used to get Gabriella on my side, "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. I'm Jacob Fisher."_

 **ENJOY!**

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 **Troy's POV:**

"What are you doing, Jacob? We don't want you here!" I growled, giving Jacob a hard death glare. He stared back at me defiantly, an expression that said he wasn't afraid of me, "There's no way you're getting near Gabriella; I won't let you!"

"Troy David Alexander Bolton, that is no way to treat our guest!" Mom scolded, pushing me away from the door so she could get a view of Jacob. He gave mom a seductive smile. Though mom was completely devoted to dad, there was no way she couldn't help admiring good looking teenage boys. I could sense her shoulders relaxing as she stepped away from the door to let him inside.

"Mom, what are you doing?" I gasped, horrified that she would let Jacob into our house. I knew she wasn't aware that she was letting a rapist—the true father of Gabriella's babies—into one of the only safe places Gabriella had anymore. I shook my head, knowing mom's answer before she said it.

"I'm doing what you should've done, Troy. Do you want some coffee or tea, Jacob?" Mom offered.

"No, ma'am. I'm here to see Gabriella Montez. I've made a huge mistake and I want her to know that I would do anything to go back in time and change my decision. I need her to know that I'm very sorry for my actions. I know now that what I did was unreasonable. Please, may I speak to her?"

"There is no way I'm letting you near Brie, you monster!" I screamed, forcing myself to not lunge at Jacob. After all the pain he put Gabriella through, he decides to apologize? Apologizing wouldn't even come close to covering what he'd done! There was no way!

"Troy, go to your room!" Mom yelled, taken aback by my sudden anger. I had never been one to go straight to anger. I usually internally weighted my options before coming to a decision. But this time, I was so angry that I couldn't think. Through my rage, I saw Jacob give me a sad, knowing smile before I turned on my heel and ran upstairs. I had to warn Gabriella before she got home. What would she do if she walked in to see the man of her nightmares sitting in her safe place? I cursed myself inwardly when I realized that I left my phone sitting on the counter. There would be no way to warn her now. I swallowed the taste of bile in my mouth when I heard the front door open and Gabriella's sweet voice turn into a horror-struck cry ring in the house.

 **Gabriella's POV:**

"I don't know what to do." I whispered to Taylor as I stood in the threshold of her front door, "How am I supposed to face Troy now?"

Taylor placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. As soon as dinner was over, Taylor had demanded that I tell her the whole story. Unable to keep it a secret anymore, I told her about Jacob and the rape. Though she was disappointed that I had lied to her for such a long time, she had counseled me for two and a half hours about how I should hunt down the jerk and make his death slow and painful.

"Face him the way you always have. Troy is very forgiving. And you know what? I knew way before he told you that he loved you. Have you noticed the way he looks at you? When his eyes meet yours, he acts like he's looking at the other piece of him that he is missing. He'll forgive you, I promise." Taylor assured.

I gave my best friend a small smile before shutting the door behind me and walking home—Taylor lived only a few houses away from Troy, so though it took only a few minutes to walk back, it gave me plenty of time to think over what I would say to Troy once I got back. I stopped at the front door of my host family's house and took a deep breath. Was that screaming and yelling I heard? Troy had told me that mama and papa had never raised their voices once since he was born. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I opened the front door.

"I'm back." I called. Mama sat on the couch with Troy—no, not Troy. Someone like Troy, though he had disheveled hair and a familiar body frame. He wasn't Troy; he was Jacob. I let out a cry of panic and pressed up against the door as Jacob stood and made his way over to me.

"Gabs, I'm so, so—" Jacob began

"Get away from me!" I exclaimed, unable to stop the uncontrollable shudders that took over my entire body as soon as I saw him. I rubbed my hand along the door, trying to find the doorknob to let myself out of my nightmare that had become my reality.

"Gabs, hear me out! I'm—"

"No! NO! Troy, help!" I screamed, my knees giving out on me when Jacob's hand closed around my arm. The fear oozing through my veins was as fluid as the day he raped me. I fell to my knees, placing a hand on the ground as I heaved for breath, unable to breath from the terror compressing my lungs. The scene in front of me blurred from tears until I saw a flash of sunlight. Wait, _sunlight? It's dark out!_ I thought as my arm keeping me in place slipped out from underneath me and I crumpled to the ground.

 _The sun shone through the windows, gleaming off the imperfectly straightened teeth from Jacob's menacing smile. The engine of the taxi created a sort of horror tune as I screamed. He tugged my shorts off and then immediately after began working on his. I saw a flash of skin and squeezed my eyes shut, continuing to thrash around—he wanted to take advantage of me without my consent? Fine, I'd make it as hard as I could. I kicked him, not sure where but was satisfied when my foot connected with his body and he gave out a pained gasp._

 _"I hate you! I hate you!" I yelled at the man who had betrayed me—took the love I gave him and decided to use it against me. Jacob simply let out an amused laugh._

 _"Ha, Gabs, you think that's gonna stop me?"_

 _"Leave me alone!" I pleaded, I begged, my voice sounding foreign to my ears as I sobbed. Tears streamed down my face, dripping from my top lip and into my mouth. I sputtered on the saltiness of the liquid, "Please, find some other girl! Not me! Help me!"_

 _Jacob let out a moan of pleasure. I squeezed my eyes shut even harder to try to ignore the strange sensation. Though, after a second, I opened one eye and glanced up at the driver—he watched through the rearview mirror. I could see sweat forming on his forehead and his face had taken on a pale complexion. I swore I could see his mouth move in the words: Lo siento_ ( **I'm sorry** ) _. My eyes wandered to Jacob's handsome face; he had a pleasant smile on his face and his eyes were closed. While he was distracted, I shifted, the same thing he did to me while I was focused on kissing him. Not noticing my careful movements, Jacob stayed in the same place. Quickly, I aimed my leg and kicked him in the face as hard as I could while I was cramped up in the backseat of a taxi._

 _In the time I had, as Jacob held his bleeding nose with both hands, I pulled my shorts back on and scrambled up and let myself out of the car, thanking God that we were at a red light. Though, as I ran to the nearest store to get away from the monster of a man who'd raped me, I could feel that it was too late; no matter how far I ran away from Jacob, there would be no escape from the results._

 **Troy's POV:**

My heart seemed to stop as Gabriella's horrified scream filled the house, "No! NO! Troy, help!"

I couldn't just sit around and do nothing while Gabriella was stuck in the position she'd only had nightmares of happening. I leaped up from where I sat on my bed and flew down the stairs. I stopped dead in my tracks for a second when I saw Gabriella collapsed in a heap on the floor with Jacob trying to help her up—though I highly doubted that he was just going to help her up. He'd probably just rape her again. Mom stood not too far away, frozen in bewilderment, unable to move from her position.

"Get away from her!" I yelled, pulling Jacob off Gabriella and punching him in the stomach. He doubled over, gasping in pain as he, like Gabriella, tumbled to the floor. I scooped the distressed girl into my arms. Her eyes were wide open, but she didn't respond to me as I spoke to her.

"Troy Bolton! How dare you!" Mom yelled once she had regained her composure. She loomed over me like a giant, her anger seeming to make her even bigger.

"You don't understand, mom! He's done something horrible!" I complained, focusing mostly on getting Gabriella to respond. I laid her on the couch and gave her cheek a few gentle slaps, "Brie, come on. Wake up, baby." Next, I tickled her neck, even though she was ticklish almost everywhere, her neck was the most ticklish of all the places. Her small body, though still slightly trembling from the encounter with Jacob, finally allowed her to snap out her daze. She gasped and her eyes came back into focus.

"What did the poor boy do? Try to see an old friend! How is that remotely horrible!" Mom retorted.

Gabriella shakily managed to stand, though I kept an arm around her waist to keep her steady, "Mama, you wanna know what he did? That monster raped me a month before I came here. These babies aren't Troy's. They're _Jacob's._ "

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

**And... Gabriella's secret is out. Hoping for a few more reviews than I have been getting. Though I am grateful that people have reviewed and that people actually like it(Cuz I seriously thought no one would), I've been only getting a few per chapter, preferably other than just "love it" or "like it".**


	12. Chapter 12: Taylor

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :) I have recently noticed that the bar lines I have put in aren't showing up on here so instead I'm going to put HSM to make it less confusing.**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _"Get away from her!" I yelled, pulling Jacob off Gabriella and punching him in the stomach. He doubled over, gasping in pain as he, like Gabriella, tumbled to the floor. I scooped the distressed girl into my arms. Her eyes were wide open, but she didn't respond to me as I spoke to her._

 _"Troy Bolton! How dare you!" Mom yelled once she had regained her composure. She loomed over me like a giant, her anger seeming to make her even bigger._

 _"You don't understand, mom! He's done something horrible!" I complained, focusing mostly on getting Gabriella to respond. I laid her on the couch and gave her cheek a few gentle slaps, "Brie, come on. Wake up, baby." Next, I tickled her neck, even though she was ticklish almost everywhere, her neck was the most ticklish of all the places. Her small body, though still slightly trembling from the encounter with Jacob, finally allowed her to snap out her daze. She gasped and her eyes came back into focus._

 _"What did the poor boy do? Try to see an old friend! How is that remotely horrible!" Mom retorted._

 _Gabriella shakily managed to stand, though I kept an arm around her waist to keep her steady, "Mama, you wanna know what he did? That monster raped me a month before I came here. These babies aren't Troy's. They're Jacob's."_

 **I got a suggestion to give Taylor a POV so most of this chapter(if not all of it) will be in Taylor's POV. ENJOY!**

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 **Taylor's POV:**

I sighed and shook my head after I closed the door when Gabriella left. I don't know how she expected to tell me about her rape and not have me tell. I mean, what was I supposed to do, let my best friend suffer through a life of nightmares—always afraid that the man would be after her? Though, as I looked through her point of view, I could almost understand where she was coming from, the boy who raped her—Jason? No, Jacob—wasn't originally American, so there was nothing she could do while she was in the United States. But was there a possibility that someone could report it to the police in Mexico?

I sat down on the couch and buried my head into my hands at a loss of what to do; I couldn't betray my best friend by telling her secret, but it didn't feel right to keep it a secret. I sighed once more and nibbled my lip in thought before finally standing and searching for my mom, who was in the kitchen washing dinner dishes.

"Mom, I need help. I'm stuck in a, um, difficult situation. I don't know what I should do." I muttered as I pulled a towel out of a drawer to help her dry the dishes.

"Well, what's the problem?" Mom asked, flashing me a grateful smile as I picked up the first sopping dish from the drying rack.

"I don't know if I should even be telling this, but you know that Gabby's pregnant, right? She says Troy and Gabby both claim that Troy is the father, but she just told me that she was raped before she came. The father is the rapist, but she doesn't want me to tell anyone. It doesn't feel right to just let it go. Please, tell me what to do!" I cried out.

Mom's hand, covered in soap suds, immediately covered her mouth in surprise. She held it there for a few seconds while she thought before she answered, "Gabby may have told you not to tell anyone, but I think you should do whatever feels right."

I threw down my towel and scoffed sarcastically, "Thanks, mom! That really helped!" I stormed off into my room and slammed the door behind me. I curled up on my bed, and though I was almost eighteen years old, I allowed myself to cry. I cried for Gabriella—I couldn't imagine how it would feel to be pregnant in a foreign country, the result of a rape and not by her consent—and for the helplessness I felt knowing her story. I laid there for at least an hour trying to figure out what to do, but as I just laid there, I began to realize that mom's advice might not be as bad as I thought it was earlier.

 _What do I think is right?_ I thought, and as I concluded on an answer, I pulled out my laptop and searched for the number of the Mexico City Police Department. I clicked on the first webpage I found, breathing a sigh of relief when I found the number.

I quickly dialed the number and held my breath while I waited for the person on the end of the line to pick up, "¿Hola? Departamento de policía de la Ciudad de México. ¿Como puedo ayudarte?" A woman's voice answered **(Boy, doesn't google translate make translating easy? LOL)**

"Um. ¿Hablas Inglas?" I guessed, hoping I'd spoken correctly.

"No, señora. Lo siento." The woman apologized.

I gave a small, nearly inaudible sigh as I made a fool of myself trying to report Gabriella's rape to the police. In the end, I think she got the gist. I think. I glanced over at my clock, surprised that it said it was nearly eleven o'clock pm—I hadn't realized I was on the phone _that._ I flipped off the lamp by my bed and closed my eyes. "I'm sorry, Gabby." I whispered as I drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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The next day at school, I tried to avoid Gabriella as much as possible, knowing that she could see the guilt of breaking her trust glimmering in my eyes. When I was near her, I looked around frequently to keep her from seeing anything. I held my breath during Ms. Darbus's homeroom class while Gabriella sat down. Though I knew that we had assigned seats, sometimes Gabriella came to talk to me before everyone was seated, but she was—though upset with Troy yesterday because of how she felt about him—hanging near Troy as if her life depended on it. Which I guess it sort of did since she relied on him a lot during her pregnancy.

"Taylor," Gabriella asked during lunch, "What's going on? Are you trying to avoid me?"

"I'm not avoiding you." I lied, feeling even guiltier as I did so.

"Come on, Tay. I may not be from here, but I'm good at reading body language. I can tell you're avoiding me." Gabriella raised an eyebrow, scooted even closer to me, and whispered, "You can't stand me. You 're afraid of what I told you. You think that I'm a disease just because I was raped."

I gasped, "Oh my goodness, _NO!_ Gabriella, don't you dare think that! I can stand you and I especially _don't_ think you're a disease!"

"You didn't deny being afraid, though." When I didn't respond, Gabriella breathed, "If you're not honest with me then I don't know who you can be honest with. You're my best friend, Tay. You can tell me."

I let out a breath, "Okay, Gabby. Yes, I am afraid of it. I don't know what to do with the information and how I am supposed to live with it baring down on my shoulders like this? Gabby, you're my best friend, but you can't just keep it a secret your entire life!" I scolded and gulped, hoping that she didn't realize that I already reported it to the police.

"I told mama. It slipped out. I was just so angry 'cause mama was yelling at Troy because he punched Jacob." Gabriella ducked her head, ashamed for what she had done.

I raised an eyebrow, "Wait. Troy punched Jacob? How? He's in _Mexico!_ "

"Tay, he came to my house. To _my_ house!" Gabriella whispered, as if anyone around could hear what she was saying before, "The one place I can be away from him, he shows up there. He tried to _apologize!_ "

I gave a humorless laugh, "As if that will take away all the problems he caused."

"Exactly!"

As the bell rang and everyone flooded out of the cafeteria, I felt even guiltier for telling Gabriella's secret. She trusted me not to speak of it to anyone. Instead of listening, I betrayed her. I might as well be just as bad as Jacob now! We may not have committed the same crimes, but we both betrayed her—he raped her and I disobeyed her and told authorities about it. I guess it seemed like the right thing to do at moment, but now as I looked back on what I did, I almost wished I hadn't told. If I hadn't told, I wouldn't have to pretend that I didn't. I wouldn't have to feel the guilt that I do now. I was basically doing that same thing Gabriella did—she never told me that she had been raped before now, but her actions of not telling about it was lying. And now I was doing the exact same thing. I was ripped out of my thoughts when I ran straight into Troy.

"Hey, Tay. You look like you just got run over by a truck. You okay?" He asked, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Um. Yeah. I just have a lot on my mind right now. I think I just need some air." I muttered.

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"I don't know what I should do, Chad! I flat out betrayed her trust!" I exclaimed that night on the phone.

"You need to tell her what you did. She'll forgive you." Chad soothed.

Even though I knew that he couldn't see it, I let out a grateful smile. Though I knew it wasn't as simple as it sounded. The conversation I had in my head with Gabriella was a lot easier than the actual one. She would hate me for sure. I mean, she trusted me with information that she had only, purposefully, told one person—Troy. Heck, she hadn't even told her own mom, and she should've been the first one Gabriella told.

"Easier said than done." I pointed out.

"True. What actually happened to her?" He asked.

"That's not for me to tell. If anyone tells you, it should be Gabriella. Not me." I decided after a couple of moments.

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"Look, Gabby, I need to tell you something." I sat with Gabriella on her bed, my head hanging low in disbelief of what I'd done.

 _You need to tell her what you did. She'll forgive you,_ Chad's words repeated in my head.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, silently urging me to continue.

"I told someone." I blinked back tears as I met Gabriella's disappointed gaze, "I'm sorry."

"What?! Tay, I trusted you! You're my best friend! If I can't trust you, then who can I trust?" Gabriella scolded.

"I don't know, Gabby. I'm sorry." I whispered.

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Sorry it took so long for me to upload this. I had spring break friday to monday(It's really short). I also have a new one-shot uploaded that I thought of and wanted to get written before I forgot. I'll try to get the next chapter up faster.**


	13. Chapter 13: Stay

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to :)**

 **Okay, it is back to Troy and Gabriella, now :p**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _"Look, Gabby, I need to tell you something." I sat with Gabriella on her bed, my head hanging low in disbelief of what I'd done._

 _You need to tell her what you did. She'll forgive you, Chad's words repeated in my head._

 _"What is it?" Gabriella asked, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, silently urging me to continue._

 _"I told someone." I blinked back tears as I met Gabriella's disappointed gaze, "I'm sorry."_

 _"What?! Tay, I trusted you! You're my best friend! If I can't trust you, then who can I trust?" Gabriella scolded._

 _"I don't know, Gabby. I'm sorry." I whispered._

 **ENJOY!**

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 **Gabriella's POV:**

I buried my head in my hands while we sat around the kitchen table, unable to believe what I had done. Out of all the stupid things I'd done in my lifetime, I had never blurted out anyone's—especially my own—closet guarded secret. Then there I was, hit in a moment of weakness due to how mama was yelling at Troy, telling her about how Jacob raped me.

"Now explain to me again?" Mama asked, holding a surprised hand over her mouth. Though she still seemed a little confused as to what I said, I could tell she got the gist of it—she sent a hateful glance over at Jacob every few minutes, as if she couldn't stand that she had him in her house.

I sighed and retold the story. Once I was finished, mama glared over at Jacob again and pointed to the door, "Out. You aren't welcome here."

Jacob stood and looked over at me, giving me a melancholy smile, "I really am sorry, Gabs."

" 'Band-aids don't fix bullet holes'." I whispered, slipping a hand over my stomach.

"I just wanted you to know that I am. I know you'll probably hate me forever, but still—" he broke off and let himself out the door. Once he disappeared, mama turned her anger on us.

"Troy, Gabby, why didn't you tell me the truth? We could've avoided all the anger and confusion if you would've just told me from the very beginning!" Mama yelled.

"I'm sorry. I knew there was nothing that could be done over here. I just thought—" I began but mama interrupted me.

"You just thought you would let me think that my son got a girl pregnant?" She scoffed and laughed without humor. She turned, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Don't put words in my mouth! That wasn't what I was going to say!" I growled.

"Well, then what were you going to say?" Mama turned back around, her eyes nearly glowing from her anger.

"I just thought that it would be better to keep it a secret while I was here." I whimpered, lowering myself in my seat.

"Yeah, because that really worked." Mama laughed sarcastically.

Troy, who had been sitting idly by just seconds before, stood, "Mom, that's enough! I get it, we made a mistake by not telling you the truth. But look at you: you're turning into a different person! Before today, you had never raised your voice at anyone. You're not the only one whose changed! I am old enough to make my own decision, and if I want to claim these babies as mine so they can know that there is a man who wants them. Brie didn't want to tell anyone about her rape, then that's her decision to make. There's obviously a reason that she didn't want to tell you, so, I suggest you stay out of her life!"

Mom stepped back, biting her lip to hold back tears forming in her eyes. She shot us an angry glance and waved us off with her hand, "We'll talk tomorrow when your father's here."

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 **Troy's POV:**

I sighed in anger as I laid on my bed that night, feeling cold and empty once Gabriella had gotten up—she got up every couple of hours to use the restroom. Though, this time, she didn't return. In curiosity, I snuck out of my room to see what she was up to. I stopped in horror in the threshold of Gabriella's room. She furiously shoved clothes into a bag, along with the baby names and new mother books she had bought.

"Brie, what are you doing?" I asked wearily.

She jumped, nearly dropping her bag in the process. When she saw it was me, she let out a small sigh of relief, "I'm running away from here. I'll go stay at Sharpay's house or something. I can't have mama and papa trying to run my life. Don't they realize that I'm here for the school year and nothing else?" Gabriella replied, shouldering her bag.

"No, Brie. You're not going anywhere!" I demanded.

"Why not? Whose gonna stop me?"

"You're not going because you're nearly six months pregnant. Albuquerque at night is not a good place to be in your condition. I'll stop you." I countered.

" _In my condition?_ Am I sick all the sudden? I'm eighteen. I think I'm old enough to make my own decisions in my life. I don't need you to tell me what I can and can't do!" She whisper-yelled.

"Look, Brie. I'm doing this because, I meant what I said: I love you. I love you so much. I don't want anything to happen to you." I murmured, pulling Gabriella closer until I could feel her racing breath caressing my skin. I let out a gentle sigh, trying to resist the urge to press my lips against hers.

"Troy, I know you love me," Gabriella began, I could almost feel her anger leaving her as she spoke, "I love you, too. When I talked to Taylor, she helped me figure out how deep my feelings for you went. But, still, you need to let me make my own choices."

 _Gabriella loves me? Gabriella loves me!_ I almost laughed in pure jubilee as she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek before pulling away and heading out of her room. Without thinking, I lashed out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to me and pressed my lips to hers, tangling my fingers in her long, dark hair. Her tongue nudged against my teeth—asking without words for its entrance. I complied immediately, letting out a small moan as I felt her tongue run along my teeth. I pulled her even closer, feeling her stomach smash against mine. _Gabriella loves me! Gabriella loves me!_ As if she read my mind, she whispered through the kiss, "I do, Troy. I do." Her fingers traveled down to the bottom hem of my shirt. The cool air chilled the skin of my bare chest as she lifted my shirt over my head. Though, as much as it pained me to say no, I pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Brie, but I can't do that." I murmured.

"Why not? I'm ready! I swear, I'm over Jacob. All I want is you!" She cried.

"Brie, don't get me wrong, but I don't think we should do that right now. I'm sorry."

Gabriella let out a disappointed sigh, but gave me my shirt back, "Why can't you?"

"Because I'm saving myself." I explained, but silently added, _when I marry you someday, I want you to be my first time._

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**I know the phrase "Band-aids don't fix bullet holes" is common, but I just wanted to make sure that no one thought that I was trying to steal the phrase from "Bad Blood" by Taylor Swift. That's why I added the ' '.**

 **Sorry this chapter is short. I've been busy this week. Hoping for a few more reviews than I have been getting. Though I am grateful that people have reviewed and that people actually like it(Cuz I seriously thought no one would), I've been only getting a few per chapter, preferably other than just "love it" or "like it").**


	14. Chapter 14: Plane Ride Home

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to(sorry. It's a lame pun. I know) :)**

 **Thanks for all the reviews!**

 _Gabriella loves me? Gabriella loves me! I almost laughed in pure jubilee as she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek before pulling away and heading out of her room. Without thinking, I lashed out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back to me and pressed my lips to hers, tangling my fingers in her long, dark hair. Her tongue nudged against my teeth—asking without words for its entrance. I complied immediately, letting out a small moan as I felt her tongue run along my teeth. I pulled her even closer, feeling her stomach smash against mine. Gabriella loves me! Gabriella loves me! As if she read my mind, she whispered through the kiss, "I do, Troy. I do." Her fingers traveled down to the bottom hem of my shirt. The cool air chilled the skin of my bare chest as she lifted my shirt over my head. Though, as much as it pained me to say no, I pulled away._

 _"I'm sorry, Brie, but I can't do that." I murmured._

 _"Why not? I'm ready! I swear, I'm over Jacob. All I want is you!" She cried._

 _"Brie, don't get me wrong, but I don't think we should do that right now. I'm sorry."_

 _Gabriella let out a disappointed sigh, but gave me my shirt back, "Why can't you?"_

 _"Because I'm saving myself." I explained, but silently added, when I marry you someday, I want you to be my first time._

 **I'm afraid that I'm gonna run out of material...I've already started to hit a writer's block. I have everything for the ending written so I'm(sadly)gonna have to just skip there or the rest of the story in between last few chapters won't get written for a while and everyone will be disappointed and will hate me for the rest of their lives. Sorry to have to do this... BUT ENJOY!**

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 **Gabriella's POV: 4 Months Later (I took a child development class last year and pregnancy last for 40 weeks which is 10 months)**

I lounged on the couch, unable to summon the willpower to move, partly because I was going back home in three hours and because the baby was ready to be born any day now. I couldn't wait to get them out of me—they added a bunch of extra baby weight and it had been giving me a horrible back ache since the middle of last night. I sighed and cuddled even closer to Troy, wishing that I never had to go home. Troy let out a small huff, as if he couldn't believe how fast the time had flown by. It was true that it did just seem like yesterday when I had arrived. Troy wrapped an arm around me and kissed my forehead.

"Gabby, you packed and ready to go?" Mama called across the house.

I gulped and shot Troy a guilty look, who smirked at the expression, "Um. What will you do if I say no?" I asked.

"Gabby," mama scoffed, "I told you to be ready last night! You don't have much time! You'd better hurry!"

Troy stood and offered me a hand. I gratefully took it and allowed him to help me off the couch, "Come on, Brie. I'll help you pack."

Hands intertwined, we made our way up to my room. A couple of piles of clean clothes laid on my bed while my first-time mother books were scattered across the room—without a doubt the messiest room I've ever had.

"Did a tornado go through here?" Troy laughed as he took in the mess.

"Maybe." I teased while subconsciously rubbing my back. The pressure, though faint, of my fingers caressing my lumbar allowed a little relief of the ache.

"You okay?" He asked, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah. I think I just slept wrong. Happens all the time now since no position is ever comfortable anymore." I explained, trying to keep my balance as I slowly reached down to pick up a book of baby names Troy and I were studying last night.

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 **Troy's POV:**

I embraced Gabriella as we waited for her plane to arrive. Her huge stomach got in the way, so she had to shift in an odd position to allow me to hold her. She buried her head in my shoulder and let out a distressed sob, "I don't wanna go!"

"I know, Brie. I wish you could stay, too. But know that you can visit anytime—you'll always be welcome in our house. I paused, "I love you."

Gabriella looked up until she met my eyes, "I love you, too." She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. She leaned forward until her mouth was next to my ear. There she began to softly sing:

" 'I set out on a narrow way many years

Ago

Hoping I would find true love along the

Broken road

But I got lost a time or two

Wiped my brow and kept pushing

Through

I couldn't see how every sign pointed

Straight to you

Ever long lost dream led me to where

You are

Others who broke my heart they were

Like northern stars

Pointing me on my way into your loving

Arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home

Into my lover's arms

This much I know is true

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road

That led me straight to you' "

"Look, Troy. I told you already; I love you, too. But we just won't work out. I live hours away in an entirely different country. I'm pregnant with twins that won't know their father. We may love each other, but love isn't on our sides—it's never been on mine. Heck, the last time I was in love, the man raped me." Gabriella whispered when she finished the song. She sniffled and wiped her eyes before accepting the gentle kiss I offered her, "I want you to know that you're amazing and I'm lucky to have known you. I'll never stop loving you and I'll never forget you."

"Flight 121: Albuquerque to Mexico City, Mexico is now boarding." Rang through the airport on a loudspeaker.

I crouched so my face was level with Gabriella's swollen stomach and gave her belly a small peck of a kiss, "Daddy loves you!" I stood back up and gave Gabriella a goodbye kiss before mom pushed me aside to give her a huge hug. I let out a small sigh; my heart felt like it was tearing in two. Now that Gabriella was leaving, I didn't think that it would ever be whole again. One part of my heart would always be with her. Unable to take the pain of the goodbye, I stared at the floor—suddenly interested in the nearly spotless tiles.

"See you guys later?" Gabriella asked, giving dad a small hug. I looked up and nodded solemnly. She waved once more before she walked into the hallway and disappeared behind the closing door. That would be the last time I ever saw Gabriella Montez—or so I thought.

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 **Gabriella's POV:**

I gazed longingly out the plane's window. Even though the plane had only taken off an hour ago, I already missed snuggling in Troy's arms, the way his muscles curled around my small frame. I missed watching Troy and papa practice basketball at dark—when I could almost feel the city lights giving a small warmth to the cool night. I missed Ash running to meet me after school and pressing her head to my stomach to feel her faux niece and nephew kick. I shook my head—thinking about Ash's excitement having twins made me miss the Bolton's even more. Though it also brought back memories of how I'd imagined Troy and I seeing the babies for the first time would be like.

 _"You ready to see our baby for the first time?" I imagined Troy asking._

 _I would've slipped my hand in his and nodded. Pulling my shirt up to reveal my extremely swollen stomach, the obstetrician spread the cool ultrasound gel over it. I gulped—what if there was something wrong with my baby? What if I had a still birth? What if? What if? What if? As if Troy knew what I was thinking, he gave me hand a comforting squeeze. The obstetrician held a small wand above my stomach, explaining what she was going to do, but all I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears. She pressed the wand to my stomach and moved it around until it was focused on not one, but two babies. I gasped in joy and covered my free hand over my mouth._

 _"From the tests we ran your last visit, the babies have tested negative to all health problems and they look perfectly fine. Seems to me like you have a little boy and girl."_

 _Though I wanted to look over at Troy to see his expression, I couldn't tear my eyes from the sonogram. Those babies, they were in my stomach—they were mine! Already I wanted to hold them, to feel the sensation of them breastfeeding. I couldn't believe, by looking at the sonogram and feeling the joy at seeing my babies, how a woman could kill their babies when they have a chance to feel the adoration that I do now seeing their unborn babies._

 _"Their beautiful!" Troy murmured._

I smiled, keeping a protective hand around my stomach. I leaned my chair back to allow the pressure off my aching lower back, letting out a content sigh when for a second the pain disappeared. But in its absence came a strange sensation, almost like a balloon popping inside me, causing a liquid to trickle out of my body and dampen my seat.

"Oh God," I prayed, "please don't let this be what I think it is."

For a moment I relaxed—there was no pain following the sensation. I breathed a thanks, but the words hadn't even left my mouth when the pain returned but with triple the force. I cried out and grabbed my stomach—the pains of labor had begun

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**That song was "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. Hoping for a few more reviews than I have been getting. Though I am grateful that people have reviewed and that people actually like it(Cuz I seriously thought no one would), I've been only getting a few per chapter, preferably other than just "love it" or "like it").**


	15. Chapter 15: Hold On

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to(sorry. It's a lame pun. I know) :)**

 **Thanks for the reviews!**

 **And to anonymous reviewer: no, you didn't miss a chapter. I was planning on explaining everything in this chapter. I was going for a cliffhanger, but I guess everyone was too focused on how I didn't explain myself last chapter to catch my cliffhanger.**

 _I smiled, keeping a protective hand around my stomach. I leaned my chair back to allow the pressure off my aching lower back, letting out a content sigh when for a second the pain disappeared. But in its absence came a strange sensation, almost like a balloon popping inside me, causing a liquid to trickle out of my body and dampen my seat._

 _"Oh God," I prayed, "please don't let this be what I think it is."_

 _For a moment I relaxed—there was no pain following the sensation. I breathed a thanks, but the words hadn't even left my mouth when the pain returned but with triple the force. I cried out and grabbed my stomach—the pains of labor had begun._

 **This chapter introduces a couple characters that weren't in HSM...ENJOY!**

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 **Gabriella's POV:**

I internally cursed myself as I held my breath and waited for the contraction to pass. I should've listened to mama, papa, and Troy. I don't know what possessed my mind to think that I would be okay on the plane. I let a small tear trickle on to my cheek. It lingered in the creases of my skin for a second, which was contorted in panic, before slipping down my chin and dripping off my face.

 _"Gabby, we're going to give you a choice—this is your life and you need to make your own decisions. Jack and I think it would be best if you stayed here until the babies are born. But we understand where you are coming from if you would rather be with your mother when they're born. But again, it's your choice. Why don't you think about it for a while and we'll come back later and talk about it." Mama had told me last month as we sat around the table once we finished dinner._

 _I nodded, though I already knew what I wanted to do. It would make it easier for me to wait until I got home. I wouldn't have to worry about mom wondering why I wasn't back on the day we'd planned, and she would want to see the birth of her unexpected grandbabies. Not only that, but if I had these babies in Albuquerque, it would make it even harder for Troy to let go of me, and me to let go of him—there was no doubt in my mind that he would be there for me during the entire birthing process, and if he saw the babies, I knew he wouldn't want me to leave even more. He'd want me to stay so he could help raise them._

 _As soon as I had left the table, Troy was by my side trying to convince me to stay—this was also something I'd predicted, "Look, Brie, I understand that I'm not actually the father and that I don't have control over you, but I would feel better if you stayed. There's no way to tell that you won't go into labor on the plane or something like that."_

 _At that, I couldn't help letting out a laugh, "Troy, I'm not gonna go into labor on the plane. You know the chance of that happening, right?"_

 _"There's a first time for everything." Troy retorted._

 _I shook my head in disbelief and settled into Troy's arms as he wrapped them around me, "And I promise that there won't be a first time for that. I also promise that you can come over to my house to see the babies anytime. My mom would be thrilled to meet you."_

 _"Please, Brie," he begged. His voice shook—he was doing his best to hold back the tears of agitation forming in his eyes, "I don't want to lose you."_

 _"And you won't," I assured, "I'll always be in your heart, no matter how far away I am. I'm sorry, but I have to do this."_

"I should've listened. I should've waited until they were born to leave. Now what am I going to do?" I whimpered to myself.

 **Jorden's POV:**

I came out of my trance I seemed to have fallen into when I began studying my notes when my best friend, Camdyn poked me. I let out a sigh of annoyance while popping out my earbuds and glancing up to meet his irked expression.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked.

"Why are you still studying? The school year's over! Plus, how can you even concentrate? There's someone a couple seats ahead who keeps on making some annoying noises!"

"A good student never takes a summer off. I need to keep up. If you don't use your knowledge, you lose it. And I don't wanna almost fail again like I did freshman year. I'll never get a job once I graduate if I fail."

"Well, take a break, Einstein. We're in the summer of our junior year of college! We're supposed to be parting and stuff, not still studying."

"Leave me alone, Camdyn."

"Fine. _Only_ if you get that person to stop making those noises." Camdyn flashed me a mischievous smile as I raised an eyebrow at him. Huffing, I stood and placed my Anatomy and Physiology textbook and notes on my seat before finding the source of the sound. Three rows ahead, a girl—maybe twenty at most—sat alone. Her fingers gripped the armrest so hard that her once tan knuckles had turned pure white. Not only was she extremely pregnant, but she was also breathtakingly beautiful.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?" I asked politely as I sat down next to her.

"Yes. Just peachy." She muttered through gritted teeth. Though, contradicting her statement, she let out a small moan, and her hand discreetly slipped over her stomach. She shifted discomfortingly in her seat. In that tiny motion, something pulled my attention from her stomach to her seat—a small dark spot that clearly wasn't meant to be there.

"Ma'am, please tell me your water didn't break on the plane." I whispered.

"Um, it kinda did." She groaned, though keeping her voice at the same level mine was.

Dread coursed through my veins and I softly cursed, unsure of what to do—if we were anywhere but on a plane, I wouldn't have been afraid. I remembered in class we had learned what to do if a woman had ever went into labor somewhere, but I guess the professors hadn't thought about what would happen if we were ever on a plane when that happened. I mean, what were the chances? I gently took the girl's hand and traced small circles on it with my thumb.

"Everything's going to be okay. We just need to get a flight attendant over here. Hopefully they'll know what to do." _Get her attention off the pain, Jorden! Think of something to talk about! Anything!_ I internally yelled, "So, what's your name and where are you going?" I asked, wincing at the lame question.

"Gabriella Montez. I was in Albuquerque for the school year. Exchange student." She gasped.

"And your host family just let you leave when you're so far pregnant?" I raised an eyebrow, surprised that anyone would do that.

"No. They wanted me to stay. Especially my boyfri—I mean, friend. He was protective of me. He just got even more protective when he found out that I was pregnant. He was so sweet." Despite the pain, Gabriella let out a small smile at the memory.

Excited that I'd succeeded in taking her mind off her pain, I continued, "So, what was this boy's name?"

"Troy."

"You have a crush on him, don't you?" I asked—the way she seemed to beam despite being in labor when she talked about him gave it away.

"I love him. And he loves me. He tried to get me to stay. I should've listened."

I gasped in happiness when a flight attendant passed us, "Excuse me, we need help!"

"Peanuts?" She asked, handing me a small package of the tiny, brown nuts.

"No, this—" I began, but was interrupted by Gabriella shrieking.

"My water broke!" Several people cried out in shock, along with the flight attendant, "Do something!"

"We weren't trained to deal with this kind of stuff! Why would we have to? What are the chances of—"

"I know!" Gabriella and I yelled simultaneously at the flight attendant.

"Look, ma'am, we all are kind of at a loss of what to do. Please, can you at least try to help?" I begged.

"If there's a medical doctor on this flight, they can help. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm sorry." She merely handed me a bottle of water before rushing ahead to the cockpit.

"I guess we're on our own here." Though as I looked at Gabriella, there was no way she was going to make it through the birth on her own. The terror settled on her face was as clear as the sky surrounding us. _We need other people to help. We need a medic. We need..._ There was so much we needed, but being thousands of feet in the air, there was no way we could access the needs. But there was one thing we could access, "Wait here. I'll be back in two seconds." I ignored Gabriella's cries as I rushed three seats back where Camdyn had my earbuds stuffed in his ears. I bit my lip to keep the sharp comment about not touching other's stuff before jabbing him on the arm. He jumped in surprise.

"What? And, man, you have horrible taste in music." Camdyn complained.

Obviously, Camdyn had missed everything, "Not now! I need help up here!"

"With the weird noise person?"

"Please, come back!" Gabriella whimpered desperately as she let out a groan.

"Look, there's a girl up there. Her water broke. The flight attendant isn't helping because she says she doesn't know what to do. No one else stepped up to help me. So now you and I are all Gabriella has."

"What are the chances—?"

"Oh my goodness! How many times will that need to be said?! Just come with me!" Before Camdyn could respond, I grabbed his wrist and dragged him with me to Gabriella. The distressed girl was in tears, holding her stomach, and gently rocking herself in the fetal position. When she saw me, she gave a small sigh but the sight of me didn't seem to lower her fear any.

"I'm back." I whispered. I put the arm rests away and lowered Gabriella until she lay across the seats. There I crouched next to her and held her hand while brushing her already sweaty hair out of her eyes, "It's gonna be okay. That's Camdyn. He's a medical student, and so am I. You're in good hands."

"Troy." She whispered, "I want Troy. Please!"

"Troy can't be here right now. But I'll do my best to comfort you instead of him."

Gabriella opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by a contraction. She let out a shriek and squeezed my hand as hard as she could. I shut my eyes and let out a deep breath to ignore the pain of her grip, "You're doing fine. Camdyn, get me that water bottle!"

Immediately, he handed me the bottle. I quickly slipped my hand out of Gabriella's, so I could open it. Then I raised her head and put bottle to her lips. She took a few gulps, sputtering on it as she tried to catch her breath.

"Sh," I whispered, "It's gonna be okay. Just breathe."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Gabriella snapped. At her tone, I winced. Seeing my reaction, Gabriella muttered an apology, "It hurts so bad!"

"I know. I know. Try to think about the positive things." I suggested.

"What positive things? I'm in labor on a plane. And Troy isn't here to help me!" She cried.

I sighed. Obviously, if this Troy wasn't here, we wouldn't get anywhere. Though, an idea popped out of nowhere, "Gabriella, does your phone have Wi-Fi?"

"Yeah, why?" She groaned.

"You can text him! Let him know what's going on. Maybe he can help that way!" I gasped, angry at myself for not thinking of that earlier.

"My phone's in my carry-on above the seats. Can you get it for me?"

 **Troy's POV:**

I curled up on the couch and sighed. It had barely been two hours since Gabriella had left, but it felt so much longer—it was hard to believe that less than three hours ago, Gabriella had been snuggled against me on the couch. Now, though, the house seemed so much emptier. The only thing that slightly made me feel better was that I had her phone number. I could call her anytime. But how did I know that after a few years she would remember me? Would she remember the man who loved her so much that he was willing to do whatever it took for her to be happy?

"I hope so." I murmured.

Just then, my phone buzzed—signifying a text. I stared at my phone, reluctant to pick it up. I didn't have the will to reach over to it. Though, something forced my hand to grab it and pull open my inbox. Once I did, I wished I hadn't. Horror tingled throughout my entire body, causing my hands to shake so hard that I could hardly hold my phone.

 _Gabriella: my water broke. Still on plane_

I cursed. Couldn't she have just listened to me? I told her to stay! I knew something would happen! Especially with her backache this morning. She had never complained about a backache before. I should've seen the signs! I could've stopped her. Then everything would be fine; Gabriella wouldn't be in labor on the plane. But could I have gotten her to listen to me? Once Gabriella had her mind set on something, she couldn't be swayed.

 _Troy: Is someone with you?_

 _Gabriella: my name is Jorden. I'm Gabriella for now. I'll give you updates._

I let out a small growl. All I wanted was to speak to Gabriella, but the guy didn't even answer my question! Well, he sort of did, but still!

 _Troy: I wanna talk to Brie!_

 _Gabriella: unable to talk now_

It was all I could do to not slam my head on the coffee table; I knew Gabriella would want to talk to me and I was dying to speak to her, even if it was just through text. I shook my head and tried once more.

 _Troy: Please! Please let me speak to her!_

I could almost feel the unknown man on the other side of the line giving up.

 _Gabriella: Fine. Just a second._

 _Gabriella: TROY!_

 _Troy: It's gonna be okay, Brie. Remember what we talked about. Take deep breaths. You're gonna be fine!_

 _Gabriella: I need you here! I can't do this without you!_

 _Troy: I can't be with you in person but know that I am with you. I'll never leave you._

 _Gabriella: Can you_

I just knew the moment she cut off that she hit a contraction. I held my breath and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that Gabriella would be okay. I nibbled my lip and breathed a prayer, "Lord, please let Brie be okay. I couldn't live if she died. You know more than I do that it would destroy me if she did. Please."

 **Gabriella's POV:**

I bit back a scream as all the muscles in my body tightened, sending a wave of unmanageable pain across my torso. Though, a distressed shriek still escaped my lips. Even though I was grateful to have someone with me, I was getting a little annoyed with the guy next to me. First thing: if there's going to be someone other than Troy with me while I'm in labor, I want to at least know his name. When he sat next to me, he asked me my name but didn't even consider telling me his. The next thing: I knew he was doing his best to comfort me, but he didn't have much creativity. All he said was: it's okay, you're fine. Couldn't he come up with something else?

"Um, there's blood. A lot of blood!" Camdyn exclaimed.

 _Great! That's exactly what I wanted to hear!_ I bit back the sarcastic comment. I already felt bad for snapping at the guy next to me. I rolled my eyes—so over calling him "the guy next to me".

"What. What's your name?" I moaned.

He gave a _silly me_ smile, "Jorden."

"How much?"

"How much what?" He asked.

"You're friend. He said there's a lot of blood. How much?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Oh. Um," he broke off, leaving my question unanswered.

 _That must mean there's way more than I expected,_ I thought. I raised a hand and wiped the sweat out of my eyes. Though when I did, the blurriness I thought was from the slow trickle of sweat stayed. _Too much blood,_ Camdyn had said. I didn't know if my light-headedness was from the loss of blood or from the thought of it. I shuddered as another contraction hit—too tired to cry out in pain. My head lolled to the side and I accepted the black void that met my vision.

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

**Another sorta cliffhanger. Sorry. If I didn't break up this chapter into several, it would be REALLY REALLY long. Last chapter, this one, and the next one was originally supposed to be one chapter, but it would've been too long.**

 **Hoping for a few more reviews than I have been getting. Though I am grateful that people have reviewed and that people actually like it(Cuz I seriously thought no one would), I've been only getting a few per chapter, preferably other than just "love it" or "like it").**


	16. Chapter 16: Troy Zachary & Alexis Teresa

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to(sorry. It's a lame pun. I know) :)**

 **Thanks for the reviews!**

 **And to anonymous reviewer: no, you didn't miss a chapter. I was planning on explaining everything in this chapter. I was going for a cliffhanger, but I guess everyone was too focused on how I didn't explain myself last chapter to catch my cliffhanger.**

 **I have paraphrased some information from a website(** **why-do-we-dream-top-dream-theories-2795931** ) **and I just want everyone to know that I don't own this information. So don't sue me, cuz I'm NOT claiming it as mine.**

 _"How much?"_

 _"How much what?" He asked._

 _"You're friend. He said there's a lot of blood. How much?" I raised my eyebrow._

 _"Oh. Um," he broke off, leaving my question unanswered._

 _That must mean there's way more than I expected, I thought. I raised a hand and wiped the sweat out of my eyes. Though when I did, the blurriness I thought was from the slow trickle of sweat stayed. Too much blood, Camdyn had said. I didn't know if my light-headedness was from the loss of blood or from the thought of it. I shuddered as another contraction hit—too tired to cry out in pain. My head lolled to the side and I accepted the black void that met my vision._

 **ENJOY!**

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Gabriella's POV:**

Sometimes the strangest things can happen while your dreaming. Reality can be twisted into a world that you never imagined it could be. Other times, dreams can be confused with reality—you wake up and not realize where you are because your dream is still lingering so vividly in your mind that it feels like it really happened. Dreams can be explained in several ways. Sigmund Freund once described it as "unconscious desires," while others say that it's the unconscious mind pulling things from your surroundings to create a picture in your mind. A study once showed that if a person dreams of a plane crash, they'll be more reluctant to step on a plane than if they heard about one on the news. Can I prove that dreams don't hold truths? Can I say that everything in dreams are false? No, I can't. I especially can't prove that my dream I was living in is false—everything in it seemed so real.

I pressed my hands against my temple to cure a small headache. When I opened my eyes, everything was strange—I standing in the top corner of the plane; it was almost like there was an invisible floor I was standing on, though when I bent down and brushed my fingers next to my feet, only air met my fingertips. I took in my surroundings. Everything seemed to be normal, except for chaos that seemed to be going on in a row of seats. Two boys—were they Jorden and Camdyn?—were frantically working around a girl. Wait, not just a girl— _me!_

"Where am I?" I asked to no one in particular. A hand landed on my shoulder. My heart leaped in my throat and in my fear, I almost choked on my tongue. I whipped around to get a view of the body the hand was connected on. There, standing next to me, was a man. A wave of peace ran over me and I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Gabriella, I have been waiting for you." He murmured.

"What's going on? Please, can you tell me what's happening?" I asked, the fear I felt when I appeared here building up until I couldn't hold it in anymore. I glanced back toward Jorden and Camdyn. Jorden was desperately giving me CPR while Camdyn took my vitals. I sniffled a few times before embarrassingly bursting into tears.

"Sh, it's okay," He whispered, pulling me close before wiping the tears off my face.

I nibbled my lip. I had heard stories of things like this happening—kids in urgent surgeries or in life-or-death situations appearing in the corner of the room they were in with Jesus.

"No! Please don't let me die!" I exclaimed, "I have so much left to do in my life! I'm gonna have twins to raise, and I want to have a life with Troy! I can't do that if I'm dead!"

"Gabriella, you're not going to die. It's not your time yet. My Father and I have more plans for you. But if you stayed in your body, there was a high chance you wouldn't make it. My Father had me come here to keep you safe until you must return to your earthly desires."

"Why did this happen to me? Why did Jacob rape me?" I asked, the questions I had screamed over and over in my mind finally breaking free of me.

"Gabriella, you have a heart full of love. Try as you may, you'd never be able to hate anyone. That is one of many things I love about you. If you could go back and change what had happened to you—to never have felt lost and pregnant in a cruel world—would you have?"

I closed my eyes and let out a breath, thinking deeply before I answered. If I had a choice, would I choose not to be pregnant at eighteen. Would I rather not had the feeling I felt when I saw my twins for the first time to have not been pregnant at all? After all I had been through, the answer surprised me.

"No." I murmured, "I wouldn't change a thing."

Taking my hand, He rubbed my hand against the nail holes in His and gave me a soft smile, "Neither would I."

"But, I still don't understand why that happened to me!" I complained.

"Sometimes bad things happen and no one understands why. But remember, My Father always has something good come out of it. Never give up hope, for there is always a greater plan. 'I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future'."

I didn't know what it was about that verse He had just told me, but a small shudder ran through my body, spreading a feeling of peace throughout me. I let out a small sigh and whispered a thanks. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, Jesus was gone and I was back in my body—the pain of labor now returned and I cried out in a mixture of shock from the experience I just had and from pain.

"W-what happened?" I stuttered, lifting a trembling hand to touch my face.

"Gabriella, I don't know how to say this, but your body just stopped. I don't know what h-happened. Y-you didn't have a pulse or anything. Then it was like s-someone just breathed life into you. It's physically impossible! You were d-dead. Then not." Jorden explained, though stumbling over his words in awe.

"A miracle." I breathed.

"I don't believe in miracles—I was raised in a family of atheists, and we have never acknowledged anything that has to do with religion. But, that was only something that would've happened through a God." He whispered.

Camdyn spoke up for the first time since I woke. His voice was barely a whisper, "Um, Jorden, the bleeding. It's slowed down. It slowed down so much!"

 **Troy's POV:**

I stared at my phone, unable to process my thoughts as I waited for the next update. My phone buzzed, and I jumped in surprise.

 _Gabriella: Something wrong. Gabriella isn't breathing. Plane is coming back. Meet at airport in 2 hours. Hospital needed!_

My heart sunk, and my eyes filled with tears, "No!" I yelled. In anger, I chucked my phone across the room. It hit the wall and fell to the floor with a crunch. Even from across the entire room, I could see the crack that ran over one side of the screen. I slammed my fist on the couch and screamed. Ashley ran into the living room to see what caused the crash and me to yell with mom close behind.

"Twoy, what happened?" She asked, her eyes full of a mixture of fear and concern.

"Nothing, Ash." I fought to keep my voice at a normal level, though I gestured for mom to stay, "Go back to your room." Obediently, she dashed back upstairs.

"What, Troy?" Mom whispered in case Ashley was eavesdropping.

"I need to go. Something's wrong with Brie. She went into labor on the plane. All I know is that she's not breathing." I nibbled my lip to keep control of the tears threatening to spill out of my eyes.

Mom gasped, and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. I could almost see the gears in her head turning to process what I just told her. She shook her head and took a few steps back, as if she couldn't believe what was happening. She flashed me a sorrowful look before retreating upstairs—either to call dad, who was out with friends, to tell him or to stay with Ashley until I had further news.

 _I don't care how long I have to wait_ , I thought as I grabbed my car keys. There was no way that I would just be sitting at home waiting for an hour and a half to pass, when instead I could be at the airport, preparing for when the plane returned.

It was almost as if I was in a daze—I couldn't focus on anything as I drove. When I arrived at the airport, I didn't even remember driving there. All I could think about Gabriella. There was a horror that resided in my bones, and I my entire body shook the same way it did every time I stepped out of the movie theater after seeing a scary movie.

"I promise, Brie, if you survive, I'll watch all the chick flicks with you and I won't complain. I don't care how much I hate them! I love you. You matter to me so much! You are my world and everything in it!" I murmured to myself as I sat on a seat in the waiting area. Time seemed to pass by so slowly. Every second seemed to be an hour. I tapped my foot in impatience. Every moment a new fear washed over me.

 _Focus on the good things! Brie's on her way back to me! I get to see her again!_ I thought. My heartbeat began to slow down. Though as soon as I began to feel calm again, that hopeless voice spoke up in my head. _But in what condition? What if she dies?_

"Shut up!" I growled to the ceaseless voice that seemed to be trying to destroy my spirit. An old woman sitting next to me shot me an angry glance, stood, and walked away, muttering something about how to young people these days needed to learn some respect.

I sighed—almost given up hope of the plane ever coming back when I heard _her_ voice. My head shot up and I looked around; I was convinced that I was just hearing things. That was when I saw Gabriella. A boy, probably twenty-three, held her while she gripped her stomach and let out a heart-wrenching moan.

"Brie!" I yelled, jumping up and pushing away people in my way. I didn't care what happened as long as I could be back with Gabriella. She looked up, her face contorted in pain; though when her eyes made contact with mine, I could almost feel her sigh of relief.

"Troy! Help me!" She cried.

"I thought you said she wasn't breathing!" I yelled at the man holding her, angry that he had caused me so much fear over a lie. I traded my keys for Gabriella, and dashed back to my car, "You drive!"

"I don't have time to explain why, but it's a miracle!"

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

"I'm here, Brie. I'm here" I whispered.

"Troy, I'm scared! And it hurts so, so bad!" Gabriella sobbed. She broke off as another contraction hit, letting out a scream of pain.

"Can't you do anything for her?" I asked the doctor, flinching at her cry.

"I wish we could, but she's too far along. The babies will be here within the hour. If you had been here earlier, we could've given her an epidural. But she was dilated nearly six centimeters when you came."

"You hear that, Brie? Our babies are almost here!" I murmured, cringing as Gabriella squeezed my hand as hard as she could.

"Why can't they come now!"

I gently wiped the sweaty dark hair out of her eyes, as the doctor advised Brie, "Okay, when the next contraction, you gonna need to push as hard as you can."

"Troy, I'm scared!" She whimpered. As she felt her muscles tighten in the beginning of a contraction, she took a deep breath; squeezed her eyes shut; and pushed. She tightened her grip around my hand and let out a mixture between a scream and a shriek: the sound was piercing and tore my heart to pieces.

"Come on, Brie! You can do it!" I encouraged, peeking around her legs to see the first baby crowning, "I can see the head!"

"C-can I touch it?" She asked the doctor as she caught her breath.

"Of course."

I guided Gabriella's hand until it brushed against the baby's soft and damp skin. She gave a small sigh. I watched as Gabriella, again, pushed. The baby's head moved, and at that, I felt bile rise in my throat, and I felt lightheaded. I heard Gabriella scoff, "Men" before my vision went dark.

 **Marià's POV:**

I sighed, staring at my watch. The plane was supposed to be here in about an hour. But, thanks to whoever caused the ruckus on the plane, it had to turn around. This was going to be the first time I saw my daughter in a long time, and all I wanted to do was see my daughter again. Now, I had to wait another ten hours. Though, I knew I could go home and relax until the plane arrived, there was a part of me I knew wouldn't be able to relax knowing Gabriella was still in a foreign country. I let out a small growl and stalked to the nearest information desk I could find.

"Excuse me," I asked in a surprisingly polite voice, despite the anger I felt, "Do you know why flight 121 had to turn around?"

"Um, we don't have much information on it. But as far as we know, a young woman went into labor on the plane. They had to make an emergency landing." The man at the information desk answered.

"Do you have a name?" I questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know the name of the woman who went into labor?" I explained.

"We're not allowed to give you that information." He raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, my daughter is on that plane, and I'm worried. I haven't seen her in nearly a year!" I cried desperately.

"Well, was she pregnant?"

"Of course not!" I gasped, surprised that the man would think such a thing about Gabriella.

"Then you can rest easy knowing that it wasn't your daughter that went into labor. Now, like everyone else, you're going to have to wait for the plane to arrive. So, if you excuse me, I have work to get back to." The man sneered.

I shook my head at the man's arrogance and sat back down on my seat. I didn't remember drifting off into sleep. I jumped awake at the sound of the loudspeaker. I was instantly awake, hoping it was Gabriella's flight number.

"Flight 121; Albuquerque, New Mexico to Mexico City, Mexico is now arrived."

 _I must've been in a deeper sleep than I thought. I don't remember hearing any of the other flight numbers!_ I thought as I rushed to find Gabriella. Though, I stopped in my tracks as I searched the flood of people coming from the plane. No matter how hard I tried to find Gabriella's familiar face amongst the crowd.

"Gabby!" I called. When there was no response from her, I called once again, "Gabriella!"

"Um, miss. Are you looking for someone?" A college-aged boy asked in broken Spanish.

I bit back a sarcastic response, before immediately switching from Spanish to English. It embarrassed me—I was nearly fluent in the English language, but I couldn't read it. I was forced to learn it when I was younger, but I never had the willpower to learn to read it, "Yes. Were you on flight 121?"

"Yeah. Who are looking for?" He asked.

"Gabriella Montez. Did you see her? She has wavy, black hair and is very pretty. Brown eyes." I described my daughter to him. 

His face paled, "Yeah, I know her. She, uh. You have—"

"Come on! Cat got your tongue? I just wanna see my daughter. Do you know where she is or not?"

"She's at the Albuquerque hospital. With my friend, Jorden, and one of her friends." He blurted.

My stomach sunk, "Why's she at the hospital?" I said slowly.

"She went into labor on the plane."

I raised an eyebrow, "I think you have the wrong Gabriella Montez. My daughter isn't pregnant. She's only had one boyfriend and they broke up before she left. No way she's pregnant! Excuse me, this is a waste of time. I'm gonna call her."

The man shrugged and walked off. I quickly dialed Gabriella's phone number and waited for her to pick up. When she did, her voice was hoarse—almost as if she had been yelling at someone—and she sounded extremely tired, "Mom?"

"Mija, where are you? I've looked all over at the airport, and I can't find you anywhere." I exclaimed.

 **Gabriella's POV:**

"Mom, I'm not at the airport. I'm at the Albuquerque hospital. I-" I broke off and looked over at Troy, who gave me an encouraging nod. He held the birth certificates, which I was about to fill out before mom had called. When my phone rang, I had handed them over to Troy. Watching me, he mouthed _Can I fill one out?_ As my answer, I smiled and gave him a thumb up. Once Troy began writing, I continued, "I have something to tell you."

"You know you can tell me anything." Mom answered. I nibbled my lip as I told her the story of Jacob raping me, "I'm sorry, mom. I know you wanted me to stay a virgin until I got married, but I can't help what happened to me!"

"Oh, mija! You should've told me earlier! I let that idiot into your room!"

"You what?!" I exclaimed.

"Um, I'll tell you later. I'm on my way to you. But when we get home, we're going to have a talk."

"Okay," I gulped, "I'll see you then." I responded before hanging up the phone. Troy handed me back the birth certificates. As I glanced over I noticed Troy had left the father space open. In my elegant handwriting, I began filling out the girl's.

"Um, what should I put as the father?" Troy asked once he had finished.

I flashed him a smile, "Troy Bolton."

His face slackened in surprise, and then twisted up in a joyful grin, "You're serious?"

"I would never joke about that!" I laughed.

Troy leaned over and pressed his lips against my forehead, "Gabriella Anne Montez, you really are amazing."

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

**That verse was Jeremiah 29:11 and it has helped pull me out of some hard times. It's a constant reminder that there is a plan for us, even when we feel as if we are alone in our struggles, we are NEVER alone. God is with us and always will be. For all of the people out there reading this who feel alone, I hope this has helped you keep hope.**

 **Still 1 more chapter left! Please don't quit out on me!**

 **Hoping for a few more reviews than I have been getting. Though I am grateful that people have reviewed and that people actually like it(Cuz I seriously thought no one would), I've been only getting a few per chapter, preferably other than just "love it" or "like it").**


	17. Chapter 17: Epilouge

**All characters belong to Disney. I don't own them! I can only dream to(sorry. It's a lame pun. I know) :)**

 **Thanks for the reviews!**

 **ENJOY!**

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **4 years later:**

 **Troy's POV:**

I sat on the couch, eying the clock impatiently. Today was the day! The day Gabriella had promised she was coming back to Albuquerque for the first time since high school. As I watched the clock, the minutes couldn't pass by quick enough. My legs bounced in excitement. I glanced up at my clock again—ten minutes left!

I jumped at a knock on the door; at some point I must've zoned out. I practically ran to the door and threw it open. There, standing on my front steps, a kid in each hand, was Gabriella Montez. The same feelings I'd felt nearly five years ago erupted in my bones: joy, happiness, and love. Though it had been a long time, those feelings had never gone away, they had been locked in my heart, awaiting for Gabriella's return. Every day after she left, I thought about her. Then when she had called me a month and a half ago to tell me she was going to visit, there was a sudden explosion in me, releasing the feelings once again.

"Brie," I laughed, pulling the beautiful brunette in for a hug, "It's so great to see you again! You look gorgeous."

She blushed, dipping her head to glance down at her skinny jeans and white blouse, "Hi, Troy. You do too. Well, um, handsome, I mean."

I kissed her forehead and then knelt down so I was eye level with Alexis and Troy.

"You must be Alexis! Last time I saw you, you were just a baby! Look how much you've grown!" I resisted the urge to hug here; she didn't know who I was and I didn't know how she would react to a stranger hugging her, "And Troy! You're so handsome. Must be your mom's genes." I flashed a grin up at Gabriella, who gave me a warm smile in return.

"Are you my daddy?" Alexis asked.

Tears brimmed my eyes; she _did_ know me, "Well, um. Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Mommy told us that she was going to bring us our daddy." Alexis let go of Gabriella's hand and threw her arms around me. Warmth filled my body, the same way it did when I held her and Troy for the first time in the hospital. I picked her up and invited them inside.

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

"So, how's mama, papa, and Ash doing?" Gabriella asked as we ate lunch.

I gulped, dreading the question, "Ash is fine; second grade already! Mom, though, not too long after you left—probably six months after you left—got in a car accident. We all thought she was going to make it," I shook my head and held back the tears that threatened to spill over, "Dad was a mess after her funeral. He blamed himself because he didn't try to stop her from leaving the house that night. He turned to drugs. For a while, he mostly drank, but then it got worse. One day, he came home with a pack of cigarettes and smoked them all in one day. A year and a half later, he died of lung cancer. Ash barely remembers them. She told me one day that she remembers mom's laugh and dad's smile, but nothing else."

"Oh, Troy. I'm so sorry! That's terrible!" Gabriella gasped.

I don't know where the surge of anger came from, but it felt as if I had lost mom and dad all over again. I pounded my fist on the table, leaped up from my chair, and stormed into my room.

 **Gabriella's POV:**

"What's wrong with daddy?" Troy asked.

I sighed, the pain of mama and papa's deaths tearing at my own heart. I may have only known them for a school year, but I loved them as if they were my own family. I remembered one day, a couple weeks after I came home, Alexis was sick, and mom was away on a business trip. I had called mama for advice on what to do. I couldn't believe that it was only a few months before her death.

"Just stay here. I'll talk to him." I decided, following Troy into his room. I found him on his back on his bed, tossing his plush basketball at the ceiling. I smirked—I'd always thought it was a cute habit, and now seeing him at twenty-three years old and still doing that was adorable.

"It's okay to grieve, Troy. You don't have to hide." I murmured, laying down beside him. I turned my head and kissed his cheek—five years after I left, and we were still acting the same way we did back in high school.

"It's easy for you to say," he sighed, looking over at me, "You haven't lost anyone you love."

"Yes, I did. When I was fourteen, my dad committed suicide. To this day, no one knows why. I lost Jacob. He may not be dead, but I loved him. And when he raped me, I lost the Jacob I knew; that part of him was dead. And I lost the man I love. Every day I was gone, part of my heart died. I was afraid that I would never see him again. Now that I'm with him again, it's like my heart is whole again. I can't tell you how many times I've dreamt visiting you," I paused, unsure how to explain my feelings in words, "Now that I'm here, with you, my life is complete."

"You're just going to leave again, though!" Troy shook his head and sat up, "You may say that your life is complete, but what about _mine_? You're here, and it's like a dream come true, but what about when I wake up from that dream? You're just going to leave again!" He choked back a sob and nibbled his lip.

I smiled and sat up next to him, laying my head on his shoulder, "No, I'm not. I couldn't let Alexis and Troy grow up without a father. And I couldn't stand living so far away from the man I love. I found a house for sale within walking distance of here. It's very pretty. Once I'm done with my visit here, I'm heading home and I'm going to finish packing and we're coming straight back. I'm not going to leave you for more than a week."

"You're moving here?! Troy gasped.

"Yup." I grinned, twisting Troy's class ring on my finger. After I was released from the hospital, Troy had demanded I keep it. He claimed he didn't really like it, anyway, and that if I had it, it would be a constant reminder of the promise he made the day he gave it to me.

"Someday." He grinned, unable to keep the expression of joy off his face, "I'm going to marry you."

"Someday," I leaned in, pressing my lips against Troy's, "I'm going to say yes."

 **HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMH**

 **Thanks for everyone who read the story! I hope everyone liked it!**


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